Fix You Part 2
by HeartK
Summary: A year after Tyler and Mallory have gotten married, it appears to be that all their dreams have come true, but after Mallory suffers from a miscarriage their seemingly perfect lives seem to unravel as Mallory's past comes back to haunt her in a big way, will they be able to save their marriage?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the sequel to Fix You, enjoy.

I sat down at my desk at Ashley and I's offices for our foundation that helps hookers. I looked at a photo frame that was on my desk it was of Tyler and I on our wedding day in Hawaii. I smiled and twirled my wedding ring around my finger. We had been married for a year now and I had graduated from college 2 months ago. I was glad that I already had a job and that I was happily married. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I put my hand over my mouth and closed my eyes. I had been feeling this way since the morning and it was making me feel so out of it. I opened my eyes and saw Ashley walked past my office. Her Manolo Blahnik's making a clattering noise on the cream tiled floors. She stopped in the door way and looked at me.

"Mallory, are you okay? You look all pale and sick." She said.

"I don't feel good, I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Aw sweetie why don't you take the day off. You don't look good at all. I'll fill in the tax exemption forms today."

"Thank- you so much Ashley. I'll see you tomorrow! I left the forms on my desk."

I pointed to the stack of papers in front of me and picked up my bright red, Birkin from the floor. The nausea stilled for a few minutes and I made my way out of the offices. I hailed a cab and told the driver to take me to 5th avenue. I held my stomach as the cab hit a few rocky patches. I hoped I didn't have food poisoning. The cab driver stopped in front of a tall, high rise building with a door man. I paid him and made my way inside. Tyler would be mad that I took a cab, he insisted I use the town car we had with a hired driver, but sometimes I felt that it was too pretentious to go around with the black, town car. Tyler was protective so I understood that his heart was in the right place. I took the elevator up to our Penthouse. The place was eerily quiet. Tyler had been so busy with working lately, I hardly saw him. I felt like our relationship was in a new zone right now, one I wasn't use to at all. I was use to having my husband home every night but with the business trips that took him out of the country I was lucky to see him at least 3 times a week. The nausea hit me again and I ran to the bathroom. I threw up into the toilet and held my hair away from my face. I sat back against the wall. I felt completely weak and drained.

"Mallory?"

"I'm in here!" I shouted.

Tyler burst into the bathroom and looked at me with concern on his handsome face.

"What happened?"

"I was feeling nauseous and I threw up. What are you doing here?"

"Do you have food poisoning? The trip to Finland was canceled, so I'll be home all week."

I smiled slightly, I was glad he would be home.

"I'm not sure. I feel really weak though."  
Tyler walked over to me and picked me up. He carried me to our bed and laid me down on it. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took my high heels off my feet and began to massage my foot.

"I think we should take you to the doctor, so we can find out what's wrong with you." He said.

"Tyler, I think I might be pregnant."

"How do you know?"

"My period has been late for 2 weeks and now I'm starting to throw up. Remember that night when you came back from London? We didn't use anything."

Tyler's eyes sparkled and he smirked. I knew he was thinking about that amazing night we had together, making love all night long and enjoying each other completely. I placed my hand on my stomach and smiled. I loved babies. Ashley's daughter Isabelle was the cutest thing ever. She was one now and I just adored that baby so much, it made me want my own one.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked.

"I think I'm actually hoping that I am pregnant." I said.

"We're still young baby."

"I know, but if I am pregnant then it doesn't matter because we're going to be good parents Tyler."

"Let's just check to see if you're really pregnant first before we get ahead of ourselves."

"Grrr Tyler."

"What? Oh baby come here."

He pulled me close to him and kissed me softly on my forehead.

"You're 26, you're not that young."

"Oh ouch, so I'm an oldie now?"

"Yes you are."

I laughed and hugged him tightly.

"Okay kid, how about I send the maid to go buy a pregnancy test for you?"

"I think that would be a good idea and then we can go to the doctor."

He smiled at me and then got off the bed and walked out the door.

Tyler

Mallory wanted to have a baby now that freaked me out. Even though my father and I worked things out, I still wasn't sure what kind of father I would be. My childhood wasn't full of trips to the ballgame with my father or anything like that. Would I even know how to take care of the little thing when it's born? I walked towards our maid Elena, she use to be our house keeper at our Hamptons house but I decided to give her a job in the city and she was like family to me, so I wanted her to be around.

"Hey Elena."

" Tyler!" She said happily.

"I need you to do me a favor, can you please go to the drug store and get a pregnancy test?" I asked.

She seemed surprised but then she smiled.

"It's for Mallory? You two will make wonderful parents!"

"Um thank you, but I hope she's not pregnant right now."

"Why is that?"

"I don't think I'll be a good father, you know how my childhood was."

"Tyler, you will be a good father. Your life is different now and you and your dad are close now. Why don't you talk to him about it?"

"Thanks Elena, I'll try to talk to him about it."

"That's good. Now I will go get the test."

I gave her a $20 bill, she took it and made her way out of the penthouse.

"I heard your conversation." Mallory said.

She walked towards me with a frown on her face.

"Mallory, I don't think I'm ready."

"I don't care if you're ready or not, if there is a baby growing inside of me, it's not his or her fault that it's going to be born, we will just have to be ready." She said stubbornly.

"I'm not telling you to get rid of it. If you are pregnant then we will make this work."

"Remember your dream? It's probably a little boy." She said.

I couldn't help but smile when she brought that up. I pulled her close to me and hugged her tight.

"Will you help me be a good parent?"

"Of course I will Tyler but you're gonna be a great Dad." She said.  
"Thank you Mallory."

**

Elena brought back the pregnancy test and now Mallory was in the bathroom. She had been there for 2 minutes. The waiting was driving me crazy, I needed to know if we were having a baby or not. She walked out with a smile on her face.

"Don't trick me like you did the last time." I warned.

"I won't, Tyler the test was positive. We're having a baby!"

I felt like the wind got knocked out of me, Mallory ran over to me and almost knocked me off balanced. I held her tightly and began to smile a little. She seemed so happy. I gulped in 9 months we'd be having a small baby, were we ready?


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you." I said to the cashier.  
I was on my weekly shopping trip for snacks. I had been having all sorts of cravings, especially for hot pockets and chocolate. It wasn't anything too bizarre , but my little boy was making me very hungry. I wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl, but I was convinced it was a boy because of that dream Tyler had. I couldn't wait to have my little baby in my arms. Tyler had gone on another business trip, leaving me alone again. The only good thing was that he was in Boston, so he would be back soon. I held my grocery packet in my hand and made my way out of the store. The sky was gray and it was quiet cold. I pulled my Burberry coat, closer to my neck as I looked for a taxi. I put my hand out and a taxi pulled up near me.  
"To 5th avenue please." I said as I got into the cab.

Once I arrived at my Penthouse, I fumbled around in my Birkin for the elevator card. I sighed, I had forgotten it back in the penthouse. I had become so forgetful lately, it was driving me crazy.

"Need some help?" I heard a familiar voice say.

I quickly turned around to see who it was. Jake was standing behind me with a smile on his handsome, tanned face.

"Jake? What are you doing here?" I asked, in complete shock.

Jake looked over at me, and his eyes grew wide when he saw my little baby bump. He was wearing a black coat and had grown some stubble on his face. He looked older now, but he looked good.

"I just moved into one of the apartments. I'm guessing you and Tyler live in the big Penthouse right?" He said teasingly.

I laughed and blushed a little.

"That's cool that you live here. Um yeah we do. Although it's more like I live here alone."

I bit my lip as soon as I said that. It came out all wrong, well it's not like I wasn't feeling lonely lately, but admitting that to someone other than Tyler felt so wrong. Jake looked at me curiously and shook his head.

"Why is that?"

"Tyler is always working, so he's hardly home."

"I see, well I hope he will have more time for you soon. You're pregnant right? And if you're not I feel like such a jerk."

I laughed and nodded my head.

"Yes, I'm pregnant. That would have been so awkward if I wasn't. Do you want to come up for some coffee? I'm so bored."

Ashley was busy with her family, so I couldn't just call her to come hang out with me whenever I wanted. Loneliness can make a person turn to the most unlikely of people. Jake smiled sweetly at me and nodded his head.

"That would be nice."

He took my grocery bag from my hand and walked to the doorman. They both came back and the doorman had an elevator card in his hands.

"I'll open this up for you right now Mrs Hawkins." The doorman said.

I smiled and thanked him. He slid the card inside the card scanner and then the elevator opened up. Jake and I walked inside and waited for the doors to open up again. A few moments later the door opened up, revealing my big and Tyler- less home.

"Where should I put this?" Jake asked.

"You can leave it in the kitchen, I'll ask Elena to make us some coffee." I said, as I shrugged my coat off my shoulders. When I looked up again, Tyler was standing right in front of me.

"I thought you were in Boston." I said, sounding very shocked.

"I came home early. Where have you been?" He asked.

I was kinda pissed off because he didn't kiss me like he usually did.

"Shopping." I said, sounding icy.

Tyler looked at me weirdly and shrugged.

"Oh nice."

Jake walked back into the main entrance.

"So ,Tyler won't mind if I'm here? I think the dude hates me." Jake said.

Tyler spun around on his heel and glared at Jake." He better not be jealous". I thought to myself.

"I never thought I'd see you again. What are you doing here man?" Tyler asked, sounding very calm for some odd reason.

Which is what I wanted... I think?

"I recently moved into this building and Mallory asked me to join her for coffee." Jake explained.

"That's nice of my wife. Come join us, Elena is making lunch as we speak. So, you came at the right time."  
I looked at Tyler and wondered if he was doing this just to piss me off. He started talking to Jake, as if they were best friends and they both disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me standing there alone. My pregnancy hormones were driving my crazy and I felt tears build into my eyes. Great, now my own husband was taking my friends away from me.

I decided to ignore it, as I wiped a single tear that had fallen down my pale, wind blown cheeks. I walked to my bedroom and headed straight to the en suite bathroom. I looked into the mirror and looked at myself. I had bags under my eyes from lack of sleep and I felt like a fat pig. I put my hand on my small bump and rubbed it slightly.

"Your daddy is annoying me." I told the bump.

My stomach felt weird, I clutched at it. It felt really sore all of a sudden. I bit my lip as I felt pain shooting through my back. "Wow, this is weird, what's going on?" I felt something wet trickle down my leg. I quickly pulled my jeans off to see what it was. A little blood was gushing down my legs, it made me feel woozy. I quickly grabbed some toilet paper and quickly wiped it up and then threw it into the toilet.  
"Tyler!" I shouted, starting to panic.  
He didn't answer.  
"Tyler!" I shouted louder.

The pain was spreading everywhere now and so was the blood. It trickled down past my legs and onto the white tiles. I bent down onto the floor, feeling so weak.

"Help me! Please, anyone. Elena!" I shouted, my voice growing weaker.

"Stay with me baby, please. Mommy needs you so much." I whispered to my baby.

A few minutes later, Tyler came rushing into the bathroom. He looked at me with a horrified look on his face. He grabbed a towel from the hanger and wrapped me up with it. He picked me up in his strong arms and yelled for Jake to call 911.

Tyler's POV.

My shirt was stained with blood, Mallory looked so weak and pale. It scared me so much. I was holding her hand as she lay in the hospital bed motionless. She had lost a lot of blood. I didn't understand how God could let this happen. It was too painful. I wanted to be the one to tell her, not some doctor. Her eyes slowly started to open up, she turned her head ever so slowly to look at me.

"Is the baby okay? You told the doctor I was 3 months pregnant right?" Mallory said.

I couldn't even look at her, this was too hard. I stood up, and stroked the side of her face.

"The baby didn't make it Mallory, you had a miscarriage. I'm so sorry." I said, trying not to break down in front of her.

She pushed my hand away from her, tears immediately sprung into her green eyes, which were staring at me furiously.  
"If you didn't stress me this would have never happened!" She shouted angrily at me.

I knew she was on a lot of drugs right now and she couldn't control what she was saying.

"Baby please, calm down. It's very common for this to happen during the first trimester."

She started crying and shaking uncontrollably.

"I hate you Tyler. Don't say that to me! You don't even care. I had the baby inside of me. I cared more about him" She said.

She started wailing, I had never seen anyone so broken or sad before. The doctors and nurses ran inside to see what was going on. A nurse took out a syringe and injected her with it to calm down. I couldn't stay there and watch, so I left.

She hated me. She had every right to I wasn't there when she needed me. It must have been my fault for stressing her and I was being an asshole about Jake being there. It's my fault, I killed my own baby. I walked over to where my mother was sitting. I sat down next to her and she held me in her arms as if I was 7 years older again. A tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. The last time I cried was when Michael died. This wasn't suppose to happen. The boy was suppose to grow and be like the child from my dream. God promised me I would have a child, but why did the baby die before it even had a chance to breathe?

1 week later.

Mallory came home from the hospital 2 days ago, she refused to eat or to speak to me. I tried everything, but it was like my wife disappeared and a stranger was here instead of her. Elena had just finished making some Chicken Alfredo, one of Mallory's favorite dishes. I picked up the plate and placed it onto the tray. I carried it over to our room. I opened the door with one hand and walked into the room. The blinds were closed, the room was a mess. Mallory was sitting up and looking out into the distance, with a vacant look on her face. Her hair was tangled and it was sticking out in different directions. She had lost so much weight, that she looked anorexic. I promised I would always fix her if something was wrong, but I had no idea how this could ever be fixed. I prayed everyday for a week and talked to Jackson about this. He told me to give her space and have faith.

"Mallory.." I said.

She turned her head slowly and glared at me.

"What the hell do you want?" She snapped.

"You haven't eaten. Elena made some Chicken Alfredo. Do you want some?" I asked, keeping myself calm.

"I don't want it." She said.

I walked over to her and placed the tray on the bedside table.

"You need to eat. You don't look good at all." I said firmly.

"I said I don't want to! Which part of you doesn't understand that?" She said.

I grabbed her hand tightly and looked at her.

"I am your husband, I am on your side Mallory! You don't think I'm hurting too? You acting this way isn't going to bring our child back." I said.

"This is all your fault!" She shouted.

She grabbed the tray of food and threw it across the room. I instantly let go of her hand and stood up.

"It's not my fault." I said softly.

"What did you say pussy? I didn't hear you."

I glared at her, my anger over the last few days had come to a boiling point.

"I said it's NOT my fault! Stop blaming me for something that is common in the first trimester. You are being a bitch and it's pissing me off. You're not making things easier for me. I loved that baby and I love you, but I can't deal with this. You need to see a shrink. On Monday you're going whether you like it or not. I'm not going to bother with trying to speak to you till then. I'm going to stay at The Plaza, if you need anything, ask Elena."

She glared at me and crossed her arms.

"I should have let Ally have you. You deserve someone like that. Someone just as cold and ruthless as you are." She said angrily.

I smirked.

"Yeah maybe I should have done that. I'll see if she's still single." I said sarcastically.

"Get out."

"I'm leaving."

I walked out of the room and shut the door loudly behind me. "Help me God, because I feel like I'm losing my wife." I prayed silently.


	3. Chapter 3

I felt dead inside, I feel like I don't know who I am. I hadn't left the house for a week, each day seemed to blur into the next and I didn't even know what to do. I just wanted to numb my pain and forget about everything. It would be so much easier to just be numb. I never thought I would feel so alone in my pain, but I was. It was like nobody else could understand me or reach me. Tyler never came home, I had lost him too. I had lost almost everything. I was starting to feel bad for treating him the way I was, but it was so hard not to because I needed someone or something to blame and unfortunately it was him, I was blaming. I was hoping our marriage wouldn't be over. I finally got out of my bed and walked over to the curtains. I slowly pulled it open, the light hurt my eyes. I walked back to my bed and sat down. I reached for my blackberry and scrolled through my contacts list for Tyler's number, I pressed the call button and waited for him to pick up.

"If you're going to fight with me, I would prefer it if we don't talk."

I bit my lip and looked out of the window. His voice was so cold and distant, it hurt.

"No, I don't want to fight Tyler. I'm tired of fighting. I'm so sorry for the way I treated you, look I just really need you right now... I feel so lost, do you feel lost Tyler?" I asked.

There was a long pause and then he cleared his throat.

"Well I accept your apology. I hate fighting with you Mallory. I guess in a way I do feel lost, but work is keeping me occupied. Are you okay?" He asked.

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.

"Thank you, I just need to see you Tyler. Please come home, us being apart is only going to make things worse. I'm not.. okay, but I will be one day. " I said.

I felt tears in my eyes, why didn't he know that I needed him right now? I was married yet I was feeling so lonely.

"I'll come see you in an hour Mallory, I miss you. I think I should come back, you're right it's not going to help. We took vows and we have to keep them no matter how hard it gets."

I smiled a little.

"I miss you too. Yes and we will make this work. I will see you in an hour."

"See ya."

He hung up and I put my blackberry on my bedside table. I walked over to the bathroom and decided to take a shower, I wanted to look a bit better.

**

Tyler's POV

I was sitting at my desk. I had just hung up from my phone call with Mallory. It felt like she was a stranger to me. It concerned me greatly, it was like love wasn't enough anymore. Losing that baby was just the cherry on top of a long list of deaths in my family. I was typing out the monthly report of the company and going over the marketing strategies with my assistant, so that she could give Nikki the notes because I would have to leave work early. My assistant's name was Mia, she was about 19 and she was very beautiful with black hair and stunning blue eyes, which isn't exactly a good thing when you're married and it didn't help that she liked wearing really low cut tops.

"So Mr Hawkins, how is Mrs Hawkins?" She asked curiously.

"Oh um, she's okay I guess." I said, while looking at my laptop's screen.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you staying at The Plaza?" She asked coyly.

I looked at her, this was definitely crossing a line. I folded my hands on the desk and sighed.

"I rather not say, it wouldn't be very professional of me, Mia." I said a bit firmly.

She pouted a little and giggled.

"Oh fine, but if you need anything I'm always here for you." She said kindly.

I smiled at her.

"I will remember that. Well send Nikki those notes and I will see you tomorrow." I said as I got up from my chair and walked towards the door, grabbing my briefcase on the way out.  
The last few years had been such a great time for Mallory and I, but I should have known they couldn't last forever. I guess God was just testing us, but I really felt like I was failing the test miserably.

**

I walked into our huge penthouse, that was too quiet for my liking. The sun was still shining brightly over Central Park The penthouse looked amazing with it's modern elegance and high tech electronics, but there was nothing inviting about the home we had worked so hard on making ours. I dropped the briefcase on the floor and walked into the main bedroom, expecting Mallory to be looking like a skeletal, mess but still beautiful no matter what.

"Hawkins, I'm in the kitchen!" She called out.

I smirked a little and hoped she was eating. I walked over to the kitchen. The cupboards were red and the counter tops were black granite. Mallory was icing a cake and she had a lot of make up on, her hair was straightened. She looked amazing, I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her from the back. I kissed her neck softly and she stiffened a little, which annoyed me a bit, then she relaxed against me.

"I missed you holding me."

"I missed holding you."

She dipped her finger into the chocolate icing and turned around, she placed her finger inside my mouth and I sucked it gently, the chocolate tasted good.

"Mmm that's good baby." I said.

I pulled her close to me and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I continued to kiss her, as she kissed me back. Our tongues danced their familiar dance together, I pressed our bodies together and picked up her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist, I placed her on top of the counter top. Then pulled away slowly, so I could talk to her.

"Should we get to the make up sex now?" I asked.

She looked away from me and shrugged her shoulders.

"I want to, but the doctor advised that we shouldn't do that for at least 2 weeks or so. I just don't feel ready right now. It took way too much energy to actually get up and get dressed this morning." She said.

I looked at her carefully, there was no life in her eyes. The make up and the new hair do was all just a facade, how did I not see my wife was broken? I was such an idiot at times.

"No it's okay, when we can do it again I'm going to make you very happy. Is this the first time you actually got out of bed all week?" I asked concernedly.

She looked down and played with her fingers, then she looked back up at me. There were tears in her green eyes but she was fighting them.

"Yes, I just can't do this. It's so hard Tyler. I feel so alone. I've been feeling alone for months, you're always working and Ashley is busy with her kid.. it's like I'm all alone."

"I never knew you felt this way Mallory. I'm sorry that you feel alone. I'm going to cancel all my business trips for a month so I can stay with you okay? Look at me. I love you, don't forget that. My love for you will never change." I said sincerely, while looking into her eyes.

She nodded her head and wiped a lone tear that had made it's way down her pale cheek. I held her face in my hands and softly kissed her lips before pulling away.

"If you really want a family, maybe we should try again to have a baby. We could do that."

She looked at me and bit her lip.

"I do want a baby, maybe we should work on that once I feel better, but we will have to speak to the doctor first, if this happens again... Tyler I won't make it,I swear to God I won't."

"God wouldn't do that to us again, we should pray about this. We should speak to Ashley and Jackson, they've always been our mentors and right now we need that."

She nodded her head and hugged me tightly, I rubbed her back soothingly. Even though inside I was falling apart, I knew I had to be strong for Mallory. I had to save her just like she saved me all those years ago, although I knew only God could truly save her, but I would help her.


	4. Chapter 4

Mallory's POV  
I was sitting at my desk; I was finally able to go back to work. It was a good distraction to have, I fully immersed myself into my work, and it was working out well for me. I was burying my emotions, maybe it wasn't the best thing to do but right now it was the only thing I could do. I was reading an article online about Ashley and I and how we were helping so many former prostitutes get on with their lives. I smiled to myself; it felt so good knowing that I was doing something meaningful.  
"Mrs. Hawkins, there is a Mr. Thorne here to see you." My assistant said through the intercom system that I had mounted on my desk.  
I froze that last name Thorne sent chills down my spine. My first pimp's last name was Thorne, I swallowed hard it just couldn't be him, that would make no sense.  
"Send him in." I said casually.  
I continued reading the article; I heard the door open and looked up. I gasped, it was him, the man who had destroyed me and gotten me involved in prostitution in the first place. He had dark black hair the same color as a raven and he had a strong jaw line. He looked like an attractive older man instead of what he truly was a monster. He smirked evilly as he glared at me with his soul less blue eyes as if he was undressing me mentally. I didn't know what to do or say I didn't understand why he would be here in my life right now because I felt like my old life never happened as if it was some nightmare I tried desperately to forget. I stared at him directly to let him know that I wasn't afraid or at least look as if I wasn't afraid of him. He walked over to the black chair in front of my desk and sat down; he stretched out his long legs, making himself comfortable in my office.  
"I see you made something out of yourself." He commented.  
"Cut the small talk Anthony, what are you doing here?" I demanded.  
He moved in closer so he was a few inches from me.  
"You are causing a lot of problems for my business, you're taking a lot of my girls away and you know I don't take that lightly."  
"And the police doesn't take what you do lightly either."  
He glared angrily at me and got up from his chair. He walked quickly over to where I was sitting and swung my chair around so I was facing him. He placed his hands on the arm rests, trapping me.  
"Do you remember that tape we made together?" He whispered into my ear.  
I felt like throwing up as he mentioned the tape. He had forced me to make a disgusting sex tape with him. He had made me do all sorts of profane acts; it scared me to think that Tyler could see it. It would destroy me. I blinked my eyes and nodded my head slowly, feeling like the 15 year old girl who had let him take advantage of her all those years ago.  
"Yes." I said.  
"Good, then you remember what I made you do. I still have that tape, if you don't give me the money I need, the money I lost because of you I will release the tape. If I go down, you're going down with me. I wonder what that rich Upper East Side husband of yours would think when he finally sees what a whore you really were." He said threateningly.  
"Haven't you done enough to me Anthony? You basically raped me when I was 15 and you got me involved in prostitution just leave me alone. Money isn't an object for me anymore, just tell me how much you want and get out of my life."  
He smirked and moved his knee in between my legs, parting them slightly. He leaned down closer to me and whispered into my ear.  
"It wasn't rape because you wanted it Mallory. You were in love with me and as for prostitution it was your life's true calling it suited you well because you were a little slut from the get go. I want $500 000 in this bank account."  
He took out a piece of paper and pushed it down my shirt. I had enough of him so I jumped up from the chair and pushed him away from me forcefully.  
"Get out Anthony and don't you ever touch me again! You will get your money, now leave!" I shouted loudly.  
He smirked and turned on his heel to leave; he walked to the door and paused. He turned around to look at me.  
"That always turned me on." He said and winked at me.  
I grabbed my stapler that was lying on my desk and threw it at him, he ducked and it missed him. He quickly walked out and shut the door.  
I pulled the piece of paper out of my shirt and glanced at its contents quickly, it was his bank account details. I shook my head, I didn't want to give him the money, he would only use it to get more young woman into trouble but at the same time there was no way I could let Tyler see that tape. I ran my fingers through my hair, why was my life becoming so complicated?  
"God please help me, show me what to do." I prayed quickly.

*****  
Tyler's POV  
Mallory and I were sitting at the dinner table, she was very quiet today and I was starting to worry that she was feeling depressed again. I twirled a piece of spaghetti around my fork slowly. It was like I was eating dinner with a stranger. I placed the fork down and cleared my throat. Mallory's head was down as she pushed the spaghetti around her plate she had hardly touched it. Today $500 000 was taken from our joint account, I had no idea why she was spending so much money and now she was sitting at the table like someone had died. She looked up at me with a dejected look in her green eyes.  
"Are you okay?" She asked.  
I nodded my head and looked directly into her eyes.  
"Of course, but are you?"  
She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.  
"I just had a… difficult day at work that's all." She said casually.  
I studied her expression carefully; I had known this woman, my wife long enough to know that she was lying.  
"A tough day at work that needed you to spend $500 000?" I questioned.  
She looked back down at her plate avoiding my gaze; she continued pushing her spaghetti around her plate with her fork.  
"I needed some money for the organization we started a new outreach program." She mumbled.  
"I see, sounds good." I said.  
I took another sip of the Chardonnay that was in front of me, I drank from it slowly. I knew something was wrong but if I pushed it any further it would upset her and that wasn't something I was looking forward to we had been through enough already.  
"I'm going to bed." She said.  
She pushed her plate away and signaled for the maid to take it to the kitchen. She didn't even look at me as she walked towards the bedroom with slumped shoulders. I threw the fork down onto my plate, it made a clattering sound. How much was I suppose to put up with? I sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of my nose. I left the plate and walked to the room. Mallory was laying on the bed, looking out of the huge floor to ceiling window the blinds were opened wide so you could see all the twinkling lights of the city. I got onto the bed and laid down next to her, I squeezed her shoulder gently; she reached for my hand and squeezed it. I knew it meant that she was aware that I was here and that she needed me.  
"Tyler, have you ever done something that was so bad that you didn't want anyone to find out about it?" She asked randomly.  
"I think everyone has done something they're ashamed of, but God forgives us for our sins which is good." I said.  
"But what if it's different? Like I know God forgives you for things but at the same time there are consequences for the past."

If you tell me exactly what this is about I can give you a better answer."  
She turned around to look at me , I noticed there were tears in her eyes.

"I did things that I'm not proud of Tyler, things that I can't even tell you."  
"Mallory, I don't care about what you did in your past that was a long time ago."  
She moved closer to me and I pulled her against me, I rolled over onto my back so she could rest her head on my chest.  
"Thank you Ty. I just feel like my world is falling apart."  
I held her tighter and kissed her forehead.  
"I won't let it." I said with an assuring tone.  
"Kiss me Tyler, just make me forget everything."  
I pushed her onto the space next to me so she was on her back, I moved over to her slowly and placed a soft kiss on her neck, I saw that she closed her eyes. I smirked she was finally relaxing now I guess I had that effect on her. I kissed her chin and then made my way to her soft, delicate mouth. I kissed her on the lips hungrily, she kissed me back and soon we were both getting into the kiss, I slid my hand up her shirt and gently squeezed her breast, I felt her suddenly tense up under me for a second and then she relaxed, something strange was happening but I found myself too preoccupied on her body to fully focus on that. I started to unbutton her shirt slowly and when I got to the last button I pushed the material away revealing soft skin and breasts that were encased in a black, lacy bra that I wanted to take off desperately. I was about to pull Mallory up so I could get rid of the shirt and bra when my phone started to ring. I pulled away from her reluctantly and groaned.  
"Damn." I muttered.  
I reached over to my phone and answered it.  
"Watch your back."A deep voice said and then hung up.  
I arched an eyebrow, what was that?  
"Who was that?" Mallory asked nervously.  
"I think it was a prank call, they told me to watch my back." I said casually.  
"Was it a man?" She asked.  
I looked at her carefully; she looked very scared I could see it in her eyes. It reminded me of that time when some idiot punched her at the strip club she use to work at.  
"Yeah."  
She sighed; I could see she looked worried now.  
"Baby relax, it's just some idiot. I can take care of myself."  
She moved closer to me and wrapped her arm around my torso.  
"My past is a problem Tyler, I need to fix it."  
"I thought we already did?"  
"Just please be careful, I can't say much but promise me you will take care of yourself?"  
I felt like she was talking in riddles, but I would find out what she was hiding even if I had to hire a private investigator to look into it.  
"I promise, but if you're ever in trouble I don't care what it is, you tell me. " I said firmly.  
"I'll try." She whispered.

The next day at work, I had already called a private investigator to meet with me, his name was Larry Thomas and he had been working for my father for years so I could trust him. I sat back against my chair and stared at Larry, he was about 40 and he had a salt and pepper beard going on, he looked a bit disheveled and he was wearing a t shirt that looked like it was from the 1960s, I assumed he was a hippie back in the day.  
"Let me get this right Mr. Hawkins, you want me to spy on your wife?"  
I gritted my teeth; he made it sound like I couldn't trust Mallory.  
"Sort of, what I really want is for you to find me anything from her past that somebody could use against her, something that could ruin her."  
"Are you trying to destroy your wife sir?"  
I chuckled and shook my head.  
"No, I'm trying to help her."  
Larry nodded his head slowly as if he didn't truly believe what I said. I decided that I didn't care what he thought about my intentions all I needed was for him to get the job done. If Mallory wouldn't tell me what was going on then I would find out myself. She wouldn't have been so cryptic last night if she didn't want me to help her. I just had to make sure she never found out that I sent a private investigator to look into her past because I was afraid she would never forgive me. Maybe I was crossing some line of trust, but I promised to take care of her and I planned on keeping that promise.


	5. Chapter 5

I was in the shower, I felt so jumpy ever since Anthony Thorne showed up at work. It was too much to deal with. Anthony was somebody I wanted to forget, he had abused me in more ways than one. I crossed my arms as the hot water fell against my skin, I closed my eyes and let the water cascade down my head, I wish it could just wash away the past as much as I had come to terms with who I use to be having it thrown into my face and used against me really bothered me. I never loved Anthony like he said I did when he was in my office, it wasn't love it was more like me thinking he was the answer to my problems back then, I closed my eyes as memories from when I was 15 started playing in my head like an old movie.

The club was crowded and I could smell weed and cigarette smoke in the air, I coughed slightly. Looking around me I could see a lot of older men looking at me, I felt conscious in my short white skirt that hardly hid anything. I placed my hand over my chest because I was only wearing a black bra, I felt so ashamed of myself. Anthony promised that I would be able to choose which men I had sex with, I had no money and this seemed like the only way. I blinked back hot tears in my eyes I didn't want to have sex with any of these men I was only 15 and I was still a virgin. I turned around and ran to the back room where I knew Anthony would be. I reached for the brass door knob and turned it quickly; I opened the door and walked inside, shutting it behind me. Anthony was standing very close to one of the strippers, she had thick, black hair and she was about 5'10, I felt jealous that he was paying so much attention to her. He smiled at her and she walked past me. Anthony smirked when he saw me, he walked towards me and pulled me closer to him, his hands were on my hips and I could smell tobacco. I looked into his green eyes.  
"Did you pick someone for tonight?" He asked.  
"N-No, Anthony there is something I need to tell you."  
He stared at me with a hint of frustration on his handsome face.  
"What is it?"  
He cupped my chin in his hand and stared me down.  
"I'm a virgin; I don't think I would please any of those men." I said quickly.  
My hands started to shake, I didn't want him to fire me or be mad at me. I just wanted him to give me his approval and be like how the other girls were. The tall stripper that was standing behind me snickered and then I heard the door close, I assumed she had left us alone. Was he going to hurt me? I was so afraid.  
"They'd pay a high price for your virginity, but I'm too selfish. Would you like me to help you fix that issue?" He asked.  
I nodded my head slowly and avoided looking at him, there was nothing I could do now it was either say yes or he would probably be disappointed. He let go of my chin and ran his hands down my shoulders gently, he then moved his hands around to my back and unclasped my bra, he pulled it off me roughly and stared at my breasts, I felt so self conscious and I placed my hands over my breasts. He groaned and pulled my hands away; he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards a mattress that was nearby, he threw me onto it.  
"When I take your clothes off you don't hide your body, you let me see everything. You do that with a client and they'll hurt you. Do you understand?" He said firmly.  
I nodded my head slowly; I wanted to run away from him. I was so scared there was no way I could do this. He smirked; he knew he had won now. He placed his hands on the waistband of my skirt and pulled it down, I wasn't wearing any panties and now I was completely naked in front of him. He began to unbuckle his pants. Now that I was faced with the reality of actually having sex, I knew there was no way that I would be able to do this with anyone anytime soon. I'd rather go live in a homeless shelter anything would be better than this!  
"Anthony I can't do this, I'm not right for the job. I'm going to go." I said.  
I sat up and reached for my skirt, Anthony grabbed my hands and pushed me back onto the bed, he pinned my hands above my head and glared at me menacingly.  
"You can't go, you belong to me now." He said angrily.  
I tried pulling my hands away from him, but it was no use. I closed my eyes because I knew exactly what was about to happen. I did think he was attractive, but I didn't want it to happen this way. I suddenly felt a sharp shooting pain in my center and I felt something hard inside of me, it hurt so badly.  
"No!" I shouted loudly.

End of flashback

"No!" I shouted out aloud in the shower, just thinking about what Anthony did to me made me lose it. I started to cry, the tears poured down my face mixing itself with the water. I had blocked that memory out for so long and now it felt like I had ran into a brick wall. I heard the door to the bathroom creak open, I turned my head to see if Tyler had walked in. I noticed a pair of black, dress shoes standing by the door, I smiled despite myself.  
"Handsome are you there?"I asked curiously.  
There was silence and I wondered why he was being so quite. I turned off the tap and opened the glass shower door; I reached for my white and gold monogrammed towel and quickly wrapped it around my wet body. I stepped out onto the shower mat and walked to the door, I pushed it fully open expecting to see Tyler, but nobody was there. I took a deep breath, I felt so scared. Tyler walked into the room and smiled when he saw me in my towel.  
"Were you standing by the door when I was in the shower?" I asked.  
He looked at me with a confused look on his face.  
"No why do you ask?"  
I froze and shook my head, I walked towards the bed and sat down on the white comforter.  
"I saw someone standing by the door and I thought it was you." I said.  
Tyler walked over to me and took a seat; he reached for my hand and held it tightly. His hand felt cold to the touch.  
"But nobody else except for me and Elena are here." Tyler explained.  
I held onto his hand tightly.  
"I swear I saw someone! Are you trying to say I'm crazy?"  
Tyler shook his head.  
"No. I'm just concerned about you. Ever since you..lost the baby your behavior has been erratic. If you need help we can go talk to a counselor." He said cautiously.  
I instinctively pulled my hands out of his and crossed my arms stubbornly. If he only knew what was really going on then he would understand, but there was no way I was about to tell him the truth.  
"Tyler, I'm dealing with that loss in my own way, but this has nothing to do with it. Just trust me on this, I'm not going crazy." I said firmly.  
He arched his eyebrow at me. His blue eyes had a look of distrust in them.  
"Then what is happening Mallory? You're shutting me out again."  
I placed my hands on my face and sighed dramatically.  
"I'm not shutting you out, there's nothing to tell."  
He glared at me and I knew I had angered him. I was shutting him out but it was to protect our marriage, I just wish he would leave it alone and know that sometimes I had to figure things out on my own without him riding on his white horse to save me.

"You're lying to me. I'm sick of this, just let me help you Mallory."  
I shook my head and glared back at him.  
"You can't save me from myself all the time Tyler. Just leave it alone, I can deal with this."  
Tyler looked at me as if I had slapped him across the face, it reminded me of how we use to be when we first met and how he angry he use to get when I told him to stay out of my problems. He got off the bed to stand up and look at me.  
"You're unbelievable. After everything we have been through you would do this?" He questioned.  
I blinked my eyes, I wanted to confess everything right now I knew that this would just be a strain on our marriage and I didn't want that.

"Tyler please understand! I'm doing this for us. Please if you love me just let me be."  
He laughed dryly and shook his head. He pointed his finger at me.  
"All you are doing is ruining us." He said angrily.  
I stared at him blankly, I had no idea he was feeling this way.  
"I'm ruining us? You work so much I never even get to see you…" I began to say .  
"I'm here more than I should be now, I'm trying but you? You keep shutting me out."  
I stood up onto my feet and pushed past him as I walked to the walk in closest to get changed, I didn't feel like fighting with him when I was half naked. He followed me into the walk in closet.  
"I'm trying to change, can you leave?" I asked.  
I knew I was being rude, but if we kept arguing like this I would tell him the truth and for once he would really be disgusted in me once he saw that tape and who I use to be. He grabbed me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes.  
"I know everything." He whispered into my ear.  
I shook my head, it was impossible.  
"How do you know?" I asked softly.  
He looked directly into my eyes.  
"I don't, but now you just showed me that there really is something you're hiding. Are you having an affair?" He asked.  
I forcefully pulled myself away from his grip and took a step back until my back was against the self where I kept all my Louboutins. How dare he ask me that? That was the worst thing he could ever ask me.

"Are you being serious Tyler? I spent the last few weeks mourning the loss of our baby and now I'm dealing with something else. Where on earth would I find the time to cheat on you? I would never do that to you! How could you say that to me?" I questioned.  
He sighed and looked like he had more than enough, I felt so bad now. I was driving the man I loved crazy.  
"I'm sorry okay? But you're being so secretive I don't even know what to think. I'm going to watch the game with Aiden, I'll be back later. I hope you sort your problem out." He said, sounding like he was defeated.  
He gave me a painful stare, I felt my heart tighten. He had been so great to me all these years and I was ruining what we had. I blinked back tears and avoided his gaze before I bawled my eyes out. I heard him walk out and I turned around to looking for some clothes. I was working on auto pilot as I rifled through my underwear drawer, picking a tan colored bra from La Perla and a pair of black, silk panties. I dropped my towel onto the cream colored carpet and began to dress myself. I walked over to find myself a dress, I looked at a black jersey dress that was hanging on the rack and pulled it off, I quickly slipped it on and smoothed it out with the palms of my hand.

I made my way out of the walk in closet and back into my room, I gasped when I saw Anthony sitting on my bed, I blinked my eyes just in case I was hallucinating. I made my hands into fists and glared at him.  
"How did you get in here?" I asked firmly.  
He folded his arms and smirked, that evil grin that I loathed so much.  
"Doormen can be so gullible and so can maids." He said casually and shrugged his shoulders.  
It sickened me that he had made his way into my beautiful room, it felt so wrong and it was like him just sitting on the bed violated everything I considered holy and sacred.  
"Get out or I'm calling the police." I threatened.  
I looked at the bedside table for my cellphone but it was gone, panic stared to seep in. He looked at me and pulled out my blackberry from his pocket it and waved it in front of me.  
"Looking for this? Come sit down, you won't be going anywhere for awhile." He said.  
I swallowed hard, I didn't want to make a big scene and maybe if I complied with him he would leave. I walked over to him and sat down, making sure to avoid as much physical contact with him as possible.  
"Why are you doing this to me Anthony?" I asked and looked into his eyes.  
"Is it wrong that I want to be in your life?" He asked.  
I laughed dryly and arched an eyebrow at him.  
"You forced me into prostitution, you took my virginity away and you are currently blackmailing me. How is that wanting to be in my life? If anything you're destroying my life." I said angrily.  
"You make it sound so evil. You ran away from me, I could have given you the world. I'm just teaching you a lesson baby doll, girls like you can't escape their past forever." He said.  
"You're so full of it Anthony. You need to just leave, you have your money and now you can leave. "  
"You think I only want money? I came back for you Mallory."  
I swallowed hard, not wanting to understand what he truly meant by coming back for me.  
"What are you saying Anthony?"  
He moved closer to me, I could smell his awful cheap cologne and I felt his breath on my neck. I stiffened as soon as I felt that.  
" I never forgot about you Mallory, you've always been desirable." He whispered into my ear.  
I moved away from him and glared at him.  
"Well I'm not yours. I'm married. So I really don't get what you're trying to do Anthony."  
"You have two choices, you let me do you now or you make sure you don't "help" the girls from club Mystique. It's your choice really, baby. Baby, your husband calls you that name a lot doesn't he?"  
I wanted to throw up, how could he do this to me?  
"I don't know what club Mystique is and as for what Tyler calls me it's none of your business." I said stubbornly.  
I hated the fact that I wouldn't be able to help the girls who obviously worked at his new club, but there was no way I was letting him have sex with me again, that just wasn't an option. I would never do that.  
"Good girl, you were always a fast learner. He's too good for you; do you suck his dick like the way I taught you to do it? Maybe that's why he's sticking around; it certainly can't be your intellect or "purity" He said mockingly.  
I felt hot tears build up into my eyes; I was always so insecure about everything he had just said. Anthony had always been manipulative; he always knew how to push my buttons.

"You know nothing about my life! Now get out, nobody will go near club Mystique, I rather have you release the tape than ever sleep with you again."  
He glared at me angrily and stared to shake, I jumped off the bed and started to back up towards the door. He got up and slowly walked over to me like a lion stalking his prey. He grabbed me by the hair, pulling me away from the door.  
"You will pay for rejecting me like this Mallory. Why do you always choose the hard way?"  
I winced from the pain.  
"Bring it on." I said through gritted teeth.  
He pulled my hair and then pushed me onto the floor. I landed on the tiles hard and stayed down, but I watched him carefully to make sure he was leaving. Anthony would always get much more violent if you quickly got back up onto your feet, I knew that much from previous encounters with him. This didn't really shock me; he had done much worse to me before. He glared at me and shook his head as he opened the door, he paused for a second and threw my phone at me, luckily he missed and it fell down next to me. He walked out and shut the door. I reached over for my phone and jumped back onto my feet; I ran to the door and locked it quickly. I froze because I didn't know who to call, I couldn't call Tyler I didn't know what to even say to him. I couldn't tell anyone, I would have to deal with Anthony and his demands until I found a way out of this. I scrolled through my contact list and pressed the call button.  
"Mallory?" Jake asked sounding confused.  
"Yes it's me! I'm so sorry for calling you like this, but I'm in a lot of trouble and I can't really tell anyone else."  
"You know you can always count on me, don't apologize. Come over? We are basically neighbors after all." He said kindly.  
I smiled widely and silently thanked God for Jake and his kindness at this moment and time.  
"I'll be over in 5, see ya." I said and hung up.  
I ran my fingers through my hair quickly; my whole life could be destroyed. I had to stop Anthony and do it without Tyler ever knowing about what happened.

Tyler POV  
I was sitting in Larry's office, he was the private investigator. He had bugged Mallory's phone and after my heated argument with her I really needed to know what she was hiding because there was no way she was going to tell me about it. We had been listening in to her conversation with Jake, I folded my arms and leaned back into my chair, she was in trouble and instead of reaching out to me she reached out to Jake.  
"We do know that she is in trouble." Larry said.  
"Yeah and she's telling Jake about it."  
"Who is Jake?" Larry asked.  
"Her lover." I said sarcastically.  
"So you do know she's cheating on you?"  
"I was being sarcastic Larry, but yeah Jake has feelings for her. Do you have any leads on her past?" I asked.  
"All I know is that back in Las Vegas she was the pimp's favorite girl, other than that I've got nothing."  
I arched an eyebrow, that pissed me off. Whenever I thought of some man exploiting Mallory it made my blood boil. If I knew who her former pimp was I would kill him with my bare hands.  
"What was the pimp's name?" I asked.  
"Anthony Thorne."  
I nodded my head; I would have to start asking Mallory questions.  
"I don't know if this is allowed, but what if your wife isn't technically in trouble and all she is doing is having an affair with this Jake guy? She's upset and that's why she can't tell you anything."  
I leaned in closer to Larry and slammed my hand against the desk. I didn't need him to put doubt in my mind.  
"It wouldn't be like her to do that and even if it is true, I just want to know that she's … okay."  
Larry looked genuinely surprised.  
"You love really love her don't you?"  
"I can't imagine a day that I won't." I said sounding agitated.  
My I phone beeped, I sighed and took it out of the pocket of my suit jacket, it was a text from Mia my assistant.  
Please come to your office immediately, there's an emergency.  
"This day just keeps getting better." I muttered.  
I quickly texted her back telling her that I would be there soon and to stay calm.  
"I have to go Larry, call me if you find anything." I said firmly.  
I walked into the office building and towards my office. I wasn't in a good mood; I wanted this day to end. I opened the door and slammed it shut behind me. The blinds were closed and nobody was in there. I groaned and locked the door behind me. I threw my brief case to the side. There didn't seem to be an emergency. Suddenly, my chair swung around and sitting behind it was Mia, in nothing but a black bustier, showing off her huge, plastic surgery enhanced breasts. I cleared my throat; I was not in the mood to be seduced by her right now.  
"Is it April Fools? You're hilarious Mia. You're a great assistant and I'll give you a chance to put your clothes back on." I said sounding annoyed.  
"No it's not. Don't be so surprised Mr. Hawkins. This is what you want; you've flirted with me shamelessly for months now. All married men are hesitant at first, but if we do this now nobody will have to know."  
I glared at her, there was no shameless flirting, clearly Mia's brain had been swapped with an alien or Lindsay Lohan. I walked up to the desk and stared her down.  
"I'm not going to cheat on my wife with you. I'm not being hesitant, I'm turning you down. I don't want you like that Mia. I'm willing to overlook this. You have 3 seconds to put your clothes on." I instructed.  
"Grrr, I love it when you boss me around." She said playfully.  
She placed her hands on the desk and jumped up onto it, she crawled over to me and pulled me by my tie, she pressed her body against mine and pecked me on the lips, I immediately pushed her off and stepped back.  
"You crossed the line Mia. You're fired."  
"Resist the devil and he or she in this case shall flee." I told myself mentally.  
She laughed evilly at me and smirked.  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you Mr. Hawkins."  
"I just did it. I'm out of here and if I see you here tomorrow I'll have security personally escort you out of the building."  
I walked over to where my briefcase was and picked it up. I walked over to the door, unlocked it and stepped out of the office. I slammed the door behind me and stormed out. I had enough, how many stupid things could possibly happen in one day? I took the elevator down to the ground floor and then walked across the lobby and outside to where my black town car awaited me. Somebody bumped into me and didn't even apologize. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned my head to glare at the tall man who had bumped into me.  
"Watch where you're going!" I shouted.  
He looked at me with his green eyes and smirked, he looked like one smug idiot.  
"Sorry Prince Tyler." He said mockingly and made his way into the building.  
I stared at him from the back for awhile, I was quiet well known around here but there was something about that man that made my skin crawl. I shook my head and walked back to the town car; I opened the door and slid onto the smooth black leather seat. What a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

I was sitting in Jake's lounge, I felt so jittery and shaky Anthony had really begun to scare me. I had told Jake about what happened with Anthony and I explained my situation. He became quiet for a few minutes, his handsome tanned features had a worrisome look.

"I can't believe he came back, where is?" Jake asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed.

"I have no idea where he is, but I know his new club is Mystique. What should I do Jake? I can't have him blackmail me like this forever, I don't know what else he'll ask me to do next."

"I'll look into it. Have you told Tyler about this? I won't let him do this to you, we're going to sort this out."

He smiled at me reassuringly, I smiled back slightly at him. I felt a twinge of guilt hit me, I should tell Tyler about what happened but it would be too much right now and it wasn't like we were on the best of terms.

"No I haven't told Tyler about this and thanks Jake, I really appreciate it."

"We need to find a way to blackmail Anthony, you should think about all his secrets and choose one to get him back with. That might be for the best now, Tyler might get really upset and you don't have to thank me."

I chewed on my thumbnail, this secret thing was becoming really difficult and I didn't know how much longer I could keep it up. Jake was making perfect sense, I would just have to find out something that could destroy Anthony and use it against him like how he was blackmailing me. I never truly hated anyone before, not even Ally, but I hated Anthony he was so evil and ruthless. All I felt was disgust and hatred for the man, I wanted him to be destroyed and for him to have nothing left.

"You're really smart Jake. I'll make sure that Anthony gets destroyed, even if it's the last thing I do."

**

I was too afraid to go home last night so I ended up sleeping in the guest room at Jake's place. I knew that avoiding Tyler was probably the worst thing I could possibly do right now, but I didn't want him to see me acting this way. It was 9 am and I tried sneaking back inside the penthouse. I tip toed across the mahogany hardwood floors, hopefully Tyler was at work by now.

"Where have you been?" I heard a voice say.

I gasped and felt like my heart would leap out of my chest. I saw Tyler sitting on the sofa with his laptop opened in front of him. I ran my fingers through my hair, which seemed to be something I did a lot when I was anxious. I walked over to the black sofa that was opposite of Tyler and took a seat.

"I was at Ashley's place." I lied.

He looked at me skeptically.

"Oh I see." He said flatly.

I stared at him carefully, something was wrong. He seemed to be in his own world and he wasn't really paying attention to anything. I immediately felt worried about him.

"Ty, what's wrong?" I asked carefully.

He closed his laptop and slid it across the long, leather sofa. He covered his face with his hands and then slowly looked up at me.

"I need to tell you something, but you are going to have to believe me and take my side on this alright?"

I bit my lip, I suddenly felt so nervous about what he had to say.

"You know I always am, what happened?"

"My assistant Mia has filed a sexual harassment complaint against me, I swear I didn't do it Mallory. She started acting crazy and came onto me last night, I fired her because of it and now she's flipping the whole thing on me. I can't even go into work today until I speak to my lawyers and fix this mess."

I swallowed hard and shook my head, this just couldn't be happening right now. I remembered meeting his assistant recently and she was very beautiful a part of me doubted that he would be able to resist her, but deep down inside I knew that Tyler was better than that, that he would never mess our marriage up in that way.

"This is really bad Tyler. I do believe you, can't you get her to drop the charges or something? If you didn't do it I'm sure a lawyer can prove that."

Tyler leaned back against the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, I could tell that this was starting to really get to him.

"It's not that easy. I'm the CEO and she's some assistant, it looks bad on me." He said.

I got off the sofa and walked over to where he was. I climbed on top of him and straddled him. He stared at me and placed his hands on my hips. I wrapped my arms around him and looked into his stunning blue eyes.

"It's going to be okay. You didn't do this, you have nothing to hide. We could pray about this and ask God to help us, we can't forget that we have Him on our side." I reminded.

As I told Tyler about how we could ask God to help, I realized I didn't even think twice about praying once Anthony showed up, how could I have been so foolish with my faith? Tyler held me close to him and I held him tightly.

"We could do that." He whispered into my ear.

I slowly pulled away from him and got off him, I sat down next to him and reached for his hand, I held his hand tightly and closed my eyes.

"Please help Tyler and I in our time of need. We don't know what else to do, but turn to you. Please make this stupid allegations against Tyler go away and strengthen our marriage. We ask all of this in Jesus' ."

I opened my eyes and looked at Tyler, he smiled slightly at me.

"Praying always makes me feel better. It's good to know that we don't have to really go through the tough times without help." He said.

I nodded my head, completely understanding what he was saying.

"I know and sometimes we go through trials to make us stronger people at the end of it. God saved us from so much, surely he can save us from all of our enemies." I said determinedly.

"Of course he can."

Tyler pulled me close to him and I held onto him tightly.

"I love you and I'm so sorry for shutting you out."

He squeezed my side and kissed the top of my head.

"It's okay, I love you too."

***

Anthony's POV

If Mallory didn't want me anymore then I would take away everything from her till she came running back to me, until all she had left was me. I had been watching her for months now, waiting for the right moment to make an appearance, when she was at her lowest point. I had bought an apartment directly opposite of hers. I would watch her sometimes from the window, watching her every move even watching her with that stupid husband of hers. He was what was in the way and that's why I was putting my second plan into action, bringing him down. They were young and so was their marriage it would be too easy to set doubt into Mallory's mind, make her think that Tyler could find someone better, someone less whore-ish.

I took a drag from the almost finished cigarette that was between my fingers. I knew she was scared of me, I did care for her but that didn't mean I would not be firm with her and show her who was really in control. She was trouble and I was addicted at one point and somehow here I am today still wanting her even if she had run away from me and had been taking away a lot of my business.

I tapped my foot slightly as I waited for my wonderful assistant Mia to appear and tell me about how she put her plan into action. It was almost too easy. I watched as the doorknob turned and then the door open. Mia walked inside, she was young and hot as hell. She had sleek, long black hair and beautiful blue eyes. I was surprised to hear that Tyler didn't sleep with her, he had more will power than I gave him credit for. Mia was wearing a very short skirt and a tight black tube top, I licked my lips just looking at her.

"Mia, have a seat." I instructed.

She sat down on the brown leather chair in front of me and crossed her legs.

"Did you do what I asked?"

"Yes sir. He didn't sleep with me as you know, but I did come onto him and I made sure to record it. When he denies the allegations, I'll simply release the screen captures and manipulate the pictures to make it look like it was something more."

I smirked at her, the plan was falling into place perfectly.

"Well done Mia, I don't give you enough credit. Now I just have to work on getting Mallory where I want her to be."

Mia arched an eyebrow at me.

"What's so great about his wife anyways? Do you want revenge?"

"My reasons are confidential. I don't pay you to ask questions Mia."

I couldn't reveal what my master plan was for Mallory yet, but she would find out soon enough. I waved my hand in front of me in a signal to dismiss her from my office. She rolled her eyes at me and walked out, slamming the door behind her. Now it was time for me to mess around with Mallory a little bit more. I dialed Tyler's number. I waited for him to answer. I despised him, only his demise would satisfy me now.

"Mr. Hawkins, this is Mr Grayson. Is there anyway I could have dinner with you and your wife tonight?" I asked.

"You're from the Hewitt Corporation right? That would be fine, I would like to close the deal tonight if you've made up your mind of course." Tyler said, sounding so professional.

"Yes I am. Sounds perfect to me. Which restaurant would you like to go to?"

"The chef is preparing something tonight, why don't you come over? I know your company is all about family first. I'll text you the address. See you tonight Mr Grayson." Tyler said.

I smirked, he was making this too easy for me. Tonight I would just torture Mallory, she would have to sit down and watch me act like a guest at her house and make small talk with her husband.

"I like how you think Hawkins. See you then."

I hung up and placed my phone down and stared at a picture of Mallory I had framed. I stroked my finger across her face in the picture, if she only listened to me then this would have never happened, but it was fine, I could bring her back to her senses.

***

Mallory's POV

"I have no idea what to wear for this dinner Tyler!" I complained.

I had a closest full of clothes and nothing to wear, the irony was hilarious. Tyler was adjusting his tie. He was wearing his Armani slacks, sleek black shoes and a pale blue shirt. I bit my lip, all I could think about was ripping his shirt off. The dinner could wait. I rolled my eyes now I would have to wait till the boring business dinner was over to do what I wanted. Tyler smirked and walked over to me, he placed a quick kiss on my lips and then looked at me.

"Wear your sexy red dress Mallory." He said and winked at me.

"Do you want him to get turned on?" I asked teasingly.

"Wear a nun outfit instead that would be much more appealing." He said jokingly.

I looked through the clothing rack in my room and found a sparkling, gold Ellie Saab dress. I quickly slipped it on and twirled around. I placed my hand on my hip and looked at Tyler.

"How do I look?"

"Like the sexiest woman alive." He commented.

He walked over to me and kissed me on the lips, I kissed him back. I wanted to do more, but I knew we had no time. He pulled away slowly and looked at me.

"I hate it when we fight.."

"Me too." I said.

There was a knock on the door, I turned my head to see who it was. Elena was standing there and smiled at Tyler and I.

"A Mr Grayson is here. I told him to sit at the table and you two would meet him there."Elena explained.

I nodded my head and slipped my hand into Tyler's as we walked to the dining room. I stopped in front of the chair I was about to sit down at when I saw Anthony sitting at the table and smiling like an idiot at Tyler and I. Was this some sort of sick joke?

"Mr Grayson, I'm so glad you could make it. This is my wife Mallory." Tyler said.

Anthony stood up and extended his hand out for me to shake it, I stared at his hand like it was disease infected and then noticed Tyler looking at me curiously. I reached out and shook Anthony's hand so Tyler wouldn't be suspicious. Anthony held my hand way too long for what was deemed appropriate. I quickly pulled my hand out of his and leaned into Tyler, not letting go of his hand. I pulled my chair out and took a seat and waited for Tyler to sit down.

"So, should we get down to business then?" Tyler asked.

"I know you're a fine businessman Mr Hawkins, but before we close the deal, I want to know what kind of man you are." He said.

I wanted to laugh, how stupid was Anthony? What was the point of him coming here and acting like someone named Mr Grayson? I coughed and then cleared my throat. Tyler and Anthony stared at me curiously.

"Tyler is loyal and kind, he brings that into his business. He's just a really good person, he's the best really." I said and then smiled at Tyler.

Tyler looked at me as if to say what are you doing? I shrugged my shoulders and stared at Anthony who seemed uncomfortable and jealous.

"Thanks for that testimonial Mrs Hawkins. Tyler does seem to be a good man. Now there is something I would like to ask the two of you. I noticed your main charity organizations are very involved in helping hookers, why do you care so much about them?"

I noticed that he stared at me when he said hookers, I grabbed my fork that was laying on the table and twirled it, I just wanted to stab Anthony with it.

"Most of these woman don't know how to get out of the business, so these organizations help them out. I find this to be a very worthy cause and we help out a lot of the girls. It's something Mallory and I really believe in." Tyler said.

Anthony stared at me for a bit like a weird stalker and then looked at Tyler and nodded his head.

"That makes a lot of sense, however what I really want to know is this, was your wife really a hooker?" He asked.

Tyler looked very angry all of a sudden, I knew he hated it when my past was brought up by anyone.

"I'm afraid that it's none of your business." Tyler said firmly.

"So you help other hookers out, but you're ashamed that your wife was one of them? That's a bit of a double standard." Anthony said.

I bit my lip, was Anthony right? Was Tyler still ashamed of that?

"I never said I was ashamed of her past. I'll say it again, it's really none of your business." Tyler said, playing it cool.

"Yes Mr Grayson I was a hooker, but I've come a long way from that. I won't let my past ruin what I have now, not without a fight at least." I said strongly.

Anthony smirked as if to say we'll see about that.

"My business is a family oriented one and I'm not sure if partnering with people like you would be a good idea. Sorry Tyler, but Hewitt Corporation won't be working with you any time soon. We're looking for wholesome companies and yours just doesn't cut it."

I knew that Tyler would have had enough by now, I heard him push his chair back and I knew he was furious now.

"Suit yourself. You are judgmental and that's someone I don't want to work with. See yourself out."

Tyler got up from his chair and walked out of the dining room. I knew he was very angry and was getting away before he did something he would regret. I turned to glare at Anthony, I felt his foot rub up against my leg, I kicked him hard in the shin and watched him wince in pain. I pushed my chair back and stood up, I leaned in to look at him.

"I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play, but leave Tyler out of it." I said firmly.

He smirked at me.

"I always win Mallory, you better get use to it while you can."

"Not this time Anthony, not this time."

***

Tyler's POV

I knew that something strange was going on with Mr Grayson and Mallory, it felt like they knew each other, so I quickly formed a plan to leave the two of them alone together. I hid behind the wall that was near the dining room and listened to their conversation. His name was Anthony and alarm bells started ringing in my head. I didn't know what was happening, but it gave me another lead and another clue, was this the same Anthony Thorne who was Mallory's pimp? I quickly called Larry the private investigator as soon as I stepped out onto the balcony and shut the door.

"Find out everything about Anthony Thorne, I want to know where he is right now. I want to know everything." I said.

Larry mumbled something and told me he would do everything he could to locate Anthony Thorne and then he hung up. If Mr Grayson was actually this Anthony Thorne person, I would kill him. He belonged in the grave.


	7. Chapter 7

Mallory's POV

When bad things happen, it feels like everything goes wrong at the same time. I honestly felt like my world was falling apart and I had no idea why it was happening. Hiding the truth from my best friend and my husband was the worst part of it. I hated keeping secrets this big. I didn't know how to act like nothing was wrong, it was like my facade grew thinner and thinner each day. I stared at the mirror, I had bags under my eyes. I placed my hands on my face, I looked just as drained as I felt. I had to stop Anthony, there was no other way around it. I decided it was time to be proactive about what was happening, so I decided to pray last night. I prayed that God would give me strength and that I would have victory over my enemy. Isaiah 54:17 says "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from me," declares the Lord" I knew that it wasn't just fancy words written down to make people feel better it was the truth and if I truly believed what it said then victory would be mine. It was so hard to believe when everything around me wasn't making any sense, but I knew that no matter what happened I would overcome this.

Not only was I letting Anthony harm me I was also turning a blind eye to people who needed my help all in order to protect my own public humiliation. It was selfish, I didn't think that I was capable of being so selfish, but the ugliest parts of our personalities show itself when faced with serious problems and that disgusted me. Would I be able to face the scandal that would surely follow once Anthony released the tape if I stopped complying with him?  
Then there was the scandal Tyler was dealing with, I couldn't believe his stupid assistant would come up with such false accusations. I would have to deal with her, it was time I took control of these things. If you don't take control of certain situations it will crush you. I fought like crazy to have the life I have now, you don't get anything without fighting like hell for it.

***  
I knocked on the door of Tyler's office that he had at our Penthouse. I didn't know what I was going to tell him exactly, but I knew that I couldn't get through this on my own. I sighed and then opened the door. He was busy typing something on his computer and he looked stressed. I didn't want to add to his problems, but I really didn't know how I would get through all of this without him.

"I need to talk to you about something important." I said.  
He stopped typing and looked up at me. I walked up to the brown chair that was in front of his desk and pulled it back. I took a seat and moved my seat closer to the desk. I ran my fingers through my hair and then held onto the edge of the desk with my hand. This was harder than I thought it would be. Tyler looked at me curiously and arched an eyebrow.  
"I'm listening." He said.  
I took a deep breath and then exhaled.  
"Well I'm going to just come out and say it. I'm getting blackmailed."  
I paused to see his reaction. He looked very angry and then looked at me.  
"Continue."  
"I know I should have told you earlier, but I did something that was so awful that telling you makes me feel so ashamed. I made a ...sex tape with my former pimp when I was younger and now he's using that against me. I'm so sorry for not telling you Tyler. I don't want you to ever see it. I know you're going to be mad, but please help me. I don't know what to do."

I blinked back tears, I really hoped he would forgive me. His anger seemed to cool off momentarily.

"After everything we have been through, did you really think I would judge you Mallory? I don't care about your past. You did something you're not proud of, but you're a different person now. I'm mad that you kept this from me."

I was being so ridiculous, how did I forget that I could tell him anything? I wondered if he would still say this if he saw it.

"I know that Tyler and I'm so sorry for not telling you anything sooner. It's easy for you to say that you don't care about my past, but can you honestly say seeing me do something like that with another man with your own eyes wouldn't disgust you? I didn't want you to see it. I wasn't going to tell you,but I can't do this on my own anymore."

He pushed his chair back and walked over to where I was sitting. I got off from my chair and walked over to where he was. He pulled me closer to him, I looked up so I could look into his blue eyes. He placed his warm hand on the side of my face.

"Then I don't need to watch it. You don't have to go through this alone, I'm always here. You can't let this man do this to you. Who is he? I'll get rid of him." Tyler said determinedly.

I didn't want him to stress about this, but knowing that I didn't have to go through something so horrendous by myself made things a bit better.

"I don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you for everything. His name is Anthony Thorne and he keeps asking for money and I don't know what else he will ask for."

Tyler seemed to be in deep thought and he nodded his head at what I said.

"You don't have to thank me. How old were you when this tape was made?" He asked.

"I'll always be thankful for you and everything you do for me. I was 16."

Tyler smiled slightly and I arched an eyebrow at him.

"You do realize if he released the tape he could get charged for child pornography? It's illegal because you were underage." Tyler said confidently.

"Really?"

"Yes, so you see he can't blackmail you anymore. Now we just need to tell him you won't let him harass you."

"I'm so stupid, I can't believe I didn't know this!"

"No matter what scandal breaks out as long as we are together we're unstoppable."

I smirked and nodded my head. Tyler was right together we were unstoppable. I was still afraid, I didn't want our reputations to be destroyed.

"Yes we can. Talking about scandals have you sorted things out with your lawyers yet?" I asked.

Tyler's facial expression changed and he had a stormy look in his blue eyes.

"No, it just looks really bad for me. It's like running into a brick wall. " He said sounding frustrated.

"That sucks. I could just slap your stupid out what she wants or get her to admit that she is lying and record her."

Tyler smiled slightly, he seemed to like my idea.

"That's a great idea babe. I'll do it. I'm not letting some idiot ruin everything I worked so hard for." He said determinedly.

I realized that Tyler was going through the same thing as me. We had worked so hard to get to where we were today there was no way we would let anyone destroy us. God would see us through, he wouldn't let our enemies get away with so much. He always protected us and I knew he would continue to do so. The important thing was that we stayed focused and do whatever it takes to keep our lives as normal as possible.

I picked up my blackberry that was laying on the bedside table in my room. Tyler was sitting on the bed and I walked over to sit next to him. I was about to call Anthony and tell him that his days of blackmailing me were over. I felt nervous because I didn't know exactly how Anthony would react to this. I was terrified that he would try to ruin my life in any way he could, it was a scary feeling, but I had to stand my ground against him. I scrolled through my contact list and got to the number he had been calling me from. I hit call and waited for the sadistic man to answer the phone.

"I see you can't go a day without speaking to me." He said.

I rolled my eyes. I never loathed anyone this much before.

"You're delusional Anthony. It turns out our little tape is also known as child pornography. It's illegal Anthony, so if you release the tape you will be guilty of distributing child pornography. In other words you can't blackmail me anymore." I said firmly.

"I know that Mallory. Like I said before if I go down,you go down with me. You don't think I have friends in high places? How do you think my establishment is run without any interference? Since you decided to get technical with me the tape will be released, unless you want to change your mind?"

I felt like I couldn't breathe. Tyler held my hand tightly and looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"He's releasing the tape. He doesn't care about the law." I mouthed to Tyler.

Tyler shook his head and sighed. I squeezed his hand tightly. I knew what I had to do now.

"Then do it Anthony. I rather be humiliated by that tape than be controlled by you. If you continue to harass me I'm going to call the police and get you arrested. Back off Anthony." I said angrily.

"You know it's not good to anger me Mallory. Just remember when your perfect world crumbles you only have yourself to blame."

I didn't say anything back to him and then I hung up. I took my phone and placed it on the bedside table again. Tyler had a shocked expression on his face.

"You're really going to let him release it?" He asked.

I blinked back tears and nodded my head.

"Yes, there was no other way. He told me to stop helping the girls at his new club and I just can't let that happen to them. I know I will be humiliated and so will you. I'm so sorry Tyler, but I couldn't be selfish anymore. "

A tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away. I didn't know how much more pain I could handle this year, it was like I was just failing all the time.

"That's the most selfless thing you have ever done. We'll get a lawyer to help stop the distribution. We won't be able to stop some people from seeing it once it gets online, but we can stop it from spreading. Nothing you do will ever humiliate me." Tyler said sincerely.

I moved closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder, taking in his delicious scent. It momentarily calmed me down. I was so lucky to have him in my life, no I was so blessed to have him in my life.

"Thank you Tyler. I'd be so lost without you. As long as there is some way to stop this I will be okay. I love you and I'm so sorry for shutting you out."

Tyler pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head on his chest.

"Shh it's okay. I love you too. You're my life Mallory. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for you and God. You need to remember that I would do anything for you."

I started to cry, I felt bad about wetting his clean shirt with my tears. I sniffled a bit. I wondered why I was being so emotional, but after the month I had it was to be expected.

"Same goes for me. Tyler if it wasn't for you I would have never found God or changed my life. It's like we were specifically made for each other. I use to think the term soulmate was cliched, but not anymore. You are my soulmate Tyler."

He kissed the top of my head slowly. I loved him so much, I hoped that Anthony would stay out of our way now, but I had a feeling that he would be back. It was a sickening feeling, but for now I wanted to push all those thoughts out of my mind. I knew that I wanted to have a baby, after the miscarriage I had found myself wanting a child more than ever. I had so much love to give and I just wanted a small child to give it to. I slowly pulled away from Tyler's embrace so I could look into his eyes.

"I think we should try to have another baby."' I said.

He looked a bit nervous and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'll be honest Mallory, it's not exactly the best time."

I looked down at my hands and sighed. I would have to be more convincing.

"It's not like the baby would be born tomorrow, we would have 9 months."

He smiled and chuckled a little. He reached out for my hand and touched my wedding ring.

"Is this really something that you want?" He asked.

I nodded my head and smiled.  
"Yes it is. So is that a yes?" I asked.

He laid down and then pulled me ontop of him. I placed my hands on his chest and looked into his eyes.

"Are you willing to do whatever it takes?" He teased.

I nodded my head and kissed him on the neck slowly.

"I think you're going to love the process of making a baby." I whispered into his ear.

"Oh no fair. You know I can't say no to that."

"I'm just that good." I whispered again.

He rolled me over so that this time I was pinned under him. He gazed into my eyes. Blue meeting green.

"I say we get to work then. I think we might have to do this at least once a day."

I smirked and pulled him by the shirt so that I could kiss him passionately.

Anthony's POV

I watched as Mallory and Tyler rolled around the bed together through my telescope. It sickened me watching her with him. I couldn't believe that she chose to let me release the tape. It was like she had changed. I needed to be in her life, why couldn't she see that she needed me as much as I needed her? I was becoming enraged with her yet at the same time I was consumed with wanting her. She needed to learn a lesson. One day she would realize I did all of this because I loved her. I logged onto my laptop that was sitting in front of me. I quickly uploaded our sex tape to a porn site and promptly messaged every important media outlet informing them about Tyler Hawkins' stripper wife who made a very naughty sex tape. It would cause problems for her and then I would take her back to where she belonged with me. I was even in the process of destroying her husband's career. It was like I was unstoppable. Nobody could stop me now.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here's is the new chapter, be warned there's some steaminess in this one ;) Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter! I really enjoy reading what you have to say about this and it inspires me to keep writing. Enjoy this one!

The last couple of days had been a bit much. First Mallory admitted to me that she made a sex tape with that disgusting man Anthony Thorne, I was furious that she kept this from me, but I didn't let it show. I hated secrets, but I also loved my wife and helping her came first. It was 12 pm and I had a meeting with my lawyer about the case against me filed by my vile assistant Mia. I took a sip from the Starbucks coffee I had bought on my way over here on Madison. I tapped my foot on the floor, I was getting impatient and I wanted to clear my name immediately. My lawyer studied at Yale and was apparently one of the best lawyers in town. I was paying him an exorbitant amount and I expected him to come through for me.

"Mr Hawkins, you must tell me the truth and then I can help you." He said.

I looked at him, he was probably about my age with dark black hair and narrow brown eyes.

"I already told you the truth. I did nothing with her, it's a false accusation," I said tersely. "How many times do I need to tell you that?"

"I understand sir, but I'm just trying my best to help. If this is a false accusation then we will settle this quickly in court, HR takes this seriously and they make sure to look into every case. Unless you have some proof that she's lying, the court case will happen." He explained.

I tapped my finger against the mahogany desk and thought carefully about what he said. Mallory had suggested that I get Mia to admit the truth and record it, that would be sufficient proof.

"I see. So say I record her saying that everything was a lie would that be enough for the judge to dismiss the case?" I asked curiously.

Mr Yiroshima nodded his head.

"Yes that would be enough evidence. Anything of that sort could help you out."

"I could work on that. Thank you."

I knew exactly what I had to do now.

I was walking down 5th avenue towards Mia's apartment. I found it surprising that she would be able to afford to live here on her assistant's salary. Something didn't add up. I stopped by an electronics store on my way there and bought a tiny camera that fitted in my tie discreetly. I was sure this way I would be able to show how she acted around me and get her confession. I felt my cellphone begin to move in my pocket, I pulled it up and saw that it was Mallory.

"Hey wife."

"Hey! I hope you're not busy, but I'm dying to eat some macaroons can you buy me a box at Laduree?" She asked.

I smiled, it was good to hear her sound happy again.

"I'll stop there later. Right now I have something to do."

"Thank you Ty. Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm actually going to Mia's apartment, I'm going to try and get a confession out of her."

"I hope she will admit it. Please be careful, I don't want you getting into more trouble."

"I can take care of myself Mallory. I'll see you later with your box of macaroons and a bottle of Chardonnay."

"I know, but still. You're the best, I love you Tyler Hawkins."

"I love you too, see you later babe." I said and then hung up.

I located the building that Mia lived in, it was called Urbana Properties on the corner of 61st Street and 5th Avenue. I walked towards the white gloved doorman and told him I was here to see Mia, he probably recognized me and let me in. There were some perks to being the CEO of Hawkins Enterprises. I made my way to the elevator. I knew where she lived because once we went to her place to go over a few things, back when Mallory and I were having problems. She never tried anything back then which seemed strange,so why now?

I eventually made my way to her apartment and knocked on the door loudly.

"Who is it?" I heard her say.

"Tyler Hawkins." I shouted.

She quickly opened the door and let me in, I noticed she was wearing a flimsy nightgown that clung to her body and was see through for the most part ,leaving nothing to the imagination. Did this woman ever wear decent clothes? Of course if I wasn't married I would appreciate it, but even if you let your eyes wander in lust for another woman that was like committing adultery. Was it easy to resist? Of course not I'm a man it's part of my nature to look, but I had someone upstairs who gave me the ability to resist and stay faithful in my marriage and besides no amount of temptation could ever lure me away from the woman I loved. We had been through too much for me to just throw it all away in one moment of weakness.

I stood in her apartment not wanting to get too comfortable. She had a lot of nice furniture pieces and artwork. I really didn't understand how she was affording all of this, I would have to look into it. I felt like some sort of detective lately, I was trying to figure out so much.

"Did you decide to finally give into me?"She asked as she walked closer to me.

I smirked, it was time I put my plan into action. I snaked my hands around her waist and pulled her close to me. She was caught off guard and looked very surprised.

"What's gotten into you? You've never done this before."

I moved her black hair away from her face with my hand. The way she was talking made it clear we hadn't done anything before.

"You were right about me trying to resist you. I wanted to do the right thing with my wife, but I'm unsatisfied with her." I lied.

She blinked her eyes and a smirk appeared on her face, obviously this was something she wanted to hear. I started making her walk backwards,so I could trap her against the wall. I whispered into her ear.

"Mia, if we had done this before you wouldn't have accused me of harassing you because I would pleasure you so much,that you would've become addicted."

It disgusted me to do this, but my life was on the line. I backed away from her and watched her carefully, acting as if it was all part of my seduction plan.

"I'm sorry for lying Tyler. I was so angry that you turned me down. I should have never done that to you, I do have feelings for you and now that you have come to your senses we can finally be together."

"I want to hear you specifically say Mr Hawkins I'm sorry for falsely accusing you of sexual harassment when nothing happened between us before. It's just part of our game, I'm the one who will dominate you and you will be the submissive one." I said.

She looked confused for a second, but then smiled seductively.

"Mr Hawkins I'm sorry for falsely accusing you of sexual harassment when nothing happened between us before." She said sounding stupid as hell.

I smirked and walked closer to her, I told my driver to call me in exactly 10 minutes after I left, so when I heard my phone ring I felt relieved. I quickly pulled it out and answered it.

"What? Are you serious? I will be there right now." I said.

She crossed her arms and stared angrily at me.

"Don't tell me that you have to go." She said.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"It's an emergency, I have to go."

I turned on my heel and quickly made my way out of the apartment. I failed to understand why people thought they could really take me down, I wouldn't allow it.

Mallory's POV

I had finished up everything early at work today and I was able to come home early. I decided I would use the free time to relax. It seemed like Anthony was going to leave me alone for now, there had been reports about my sex tape, it sucked to have to deal with it and having people look at me weirdly, but I was under age when it happened and it was quickly pulled down. I didn't have to live in guilt anymore, the day I chose to turn to God was the day I was freed from my past. I would not live in condemnation anymore especially since I was free from it. I had recently read about a woman in the bible named Rahab who was a prostitute, but God had freed her from her past and her sins and ironically enough she was a direct ancestor of Jesus, that meant that Jesus had a woman who was a prostitute in his genealogy. I was floored when I found that out, it just proved that you truly could start over new and be used for great things. God didn't care that I made some stupid tape or that I got myself caught up in terrible things, but he did care about me enough,to save me from it. Thinking about all of this really helped me stay strong in these trying times.

I decided to draw up a bath while I waited for Tyler to return with my macaroons and some champagne. I was craving it like crazy, I always randomly craved food and I would never be satisfied until I had whatever it was that I craved so much. I knew that he was going to try and get a confession from Mia and I really hoped it would go well. I felt uneasy with him being alone with her, but I had to trust him enough to know that he knew exactly what he was doing. I slipped out of my black Chanel outfit that I wore to work and threw it into the wash basket, I then proceeded to take off my La Perla bra and panties set. Whenever I looked at my expensive clothes I was always shocked, a few years ago I basically lived in poverty and now I was blessed.. and they say God doesn't care about people. I stepped into the warm water in the tub, it felt so good on my cold feet. I submerged my body into the water and smiled as I enjoyed the warmness of it. I could finally relax.

I heard a knock on the door, I froze. I was still a bit jumpy, I knew that for now I didn't have to worry about Anthony, but my guard was still up. The door opened and I held my breath. I exhaled in relief when I saw Tyler standing there with two champagne glasses, a box of macaroons and a bottle of champagne. He pushed the door open with his shoulder and walked towards me. He placed the glasses and bottle on the edge of the tub and handed me the box of macaroons.

"This is amazing! Thank you so much."

He smirked at me as he began to undress. I just stared at him, he was always oh so sexy. I couldn't tear my eyes away. He finally took his boxers off and threw it to the side. I smirked at him and winked.

"By the way you're welcome and you know how to repay me." He said teasingly.

I arched an eyebrow at him.

"You better get in here then."

He walked towards the tub and got in, I placed the macaroon box to the side and moved over to him. I straddled him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He placed his hands on my back and looked into my eyes.

"Did you get the confession from Mia?"

"I did, but the method I used wasn't favorable."

He avoided my gaze and I froze for a second. A million crazy thoughts ran through my head.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I just had to pretend that I wanted her and she admitted everything. I'm free now Mallory, that's all that matters."

I bit my lip, I knew it was just acting, but the thought of him even pretending to want another woman made my skin crawl.

"I get that Tyler, but … I really hate that." I said honestly.

He cupped my chin with his hand, forcing me to look directly into his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Mallory, but you do know that you are everything to me? I don't want anyone else but you. I love you." He said charmingly.

"You're lucky you're so charming Tyler Hawkins. I love you too."

He smirked and placed a tender kiss on my lips, I kissed him back and then slowly moved away. I had a craving that needed to be satisfied. I moved over to the other side of the tub and opened the box of the macaroons, I took a pink one out and sunk my teeth into it. It was so soft and decadent. I chewed on it quickly and then savored the taste. I closed my eyes.

"Mmm." I said.

I swallowed and then opened my eyes, Tyler was looking at me with a very seductive look on his face.

"What?" I asked playfully.

"You have no idea how hot it is to watch you experience pleasure in any form. It's arousing."

I smirked at him.

"Mmmmm." I moaned loudly.

I watched him carefully and he wasn't kidding, it really did arouse him. I crawled over to him and straddled him again.

"You're such a tease." He commented.

"Yes, but that's what keeps this interesting."

I moved closer to him and began to kiss him with passion, our tongues moving against each,other fighting for dominance. I desired him so deeply, I needed him. I felt him get harder underneath me and knew exactly what we were going to do. I deepened our kiss as I opened my legs, moving against him and letting him know exactly what I wanted. He pulled me closer and I positioned myself so that I could get him inside of me. I slowly moved, feeling him full me deeper and deeper until I felt completely full of him. I started to rock back and forth, holding onto him for support. I could hear his breathing get heavier, as did mine. So much love and passion, I couldn't get enough. It was like Tyler and I were specifically made for each other in every way.

"Ahhh." I shouted out in pure pleasure.

"Damn Mallory." Tyler breathed into my ear as he pulled my hair back a bit forcefully, but not enough to hurt me.

I quickened my movements and moved in a certain way that I knew would throw him over the edge. I watched as his eyes opened wide, I knew that it was time. I continued what I was doing,and then he finally came with me as I moaned loudly again. I tried to catch my breath as I rested my head against his shoulder which was covered with a thin layer of sweat, as weird as this sounds Tyler had a certain scent and I adored it.

"Nobody could ever satisfy me the way you do Mallory." He whispered into my ear.

I smiled because nobody ever could and ever would satisfy me the way he did. Our marriage had hit a rough spot lately, but we were coming back swinging.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry about it being so late, but I really had to make sure I did this chapter right. Just a warning, it's really dramatic and shocking, just have hope though!

Mallory's POV

"You know what I completely forgot about? Ashley's charity masquerade ball, it's actually tonight. Do you feel like going?" I asked.

Tyler was sitting on the couch watching tv, while I was looking through the mail which had invitations to art gallery openings and other types of events. I knew that Ashley had been planning the masked ball for a really long time and she would be disappointed if we didn't show up. I remembered the last masquerade ball I attended, where Tyler's ex outed me as a stripper to everyone. Ah, good memories.

"Do we have to go? I don't feel like dealing with people's questions." He said.

I sighed.

"Tyler, Ashley will be so disappointed if we don't show up.." I said and gave him a look as if to say if we didn't go then I would be mad at him.

"I don't have a choice do I?" He questioned.

I laughed a little and shrugged my shoulders casually.

"No you really don't Hawkins."

"Do you have masks for us? Maybe I can disguise myself well enough that nobody will know it's me."

"Now see, there's a good idea. Yes I got everything a few weeks ago, you know Ashley she lives for this sort of thing."

"Yeah I know. Let's hope this one isn't as dramatic as the other one.."

I arched an eyebrow at him, the way our lives were, there was bound to be some sort of dramatic thing happening at the ball.

"We can only hope."

Tyler had a look of concern in his eyes, I really hoped it would be okay.

Anthony's POV

I glanced at the invite to the masquerade ball ,thrown by one of Mallory's former whore of a friend Ashley Winthrop. It would be perfect, everybody would be disguised and no one would see me. I could watch from a distance without my cover being compromised. As the days went by, I started thinking more carefully about what I would do to her and how I would get her away from Tyler and tonight was the night that my plan would go into action. I smirked as I adjusted my tuxedo jacket and put on a black mask. I stared into the mirror, I loved it when plans fell perfectly into place.

"Mia. Do you have everything ready?" I asked.

Mia walked towards me, she was wearing a silky, navy floor length gown with a black mask on. She barely looked recognizable which was exactly what I wanted tonight.

"Yes, I do. I hope you know what you're doing Anthony."

"I always know what I'm doing." I said smugly.

I started walking towards the door of my apartment, it was time to get this going.

Mallory's POV

"So how do I look?" I asked Tyler.

I decided that we would wear navy and black to the ball. I had made sure I bought a silky, navy Gucci dress paired with a black lace mask and I got Tyler a plain black mask and a navy tie. I twirled around in my floor length gown and struck a pose. Tyler looked dashing in his black tuxedo and mask, he looked so different. He smirked at me.

"You look beautiful. Now let's get going." He said as he walked up towards me and linked our arms together, we walked to the elevator and waited for the doors to open up. As soon as it opened up we walked inside and pressed the button to take us to the lobby. The doors opened up and we walked across it to get outside, where the limo was awaiting us.

Tyler's POV

Mallory and I walked inside the crowded ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which was decorated to perfection with red and white as the theme. The gold and crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, there were so many people there dressed in lavish gowns and dashing tuxedos. Getting to wear a mask tonight was an added benefit because I was not in the mood to discuss Mallory's sex tape or the lawsuit that had been filed against me. It was a bit strange how it all seemed to happen at the same time, but of course I was looking into everything, it was all about timing. I held onto Mallory's hand, so that we didn't get split up in the crowd.

"Do you want to get some drinks?" I whispered into her ear.

"That would be good." She whispered back.

Somebody forcefully moved their way in between Mallory and I, breaking us apart. People started moving all around us, I looked around for Mallory and I couldn't see her. It was so difficult to spot her since everyone was wearing masks and the room was so crowded. I scanned the area for her, I saw the back of a woman who seemed like Mallory, she was wearing the same dress. She turned her head and motioned for me to follow her with her hand, I started walking towards her, I wanted to make sure she was safe considering that idiot Anthony was still on the loose. As soon as I caught up to her, she passed me a note and kept on walking, her back to me.

Follow me, it's time we had some fun ;)

Just play along Tyler.

xoxo

Mallory

I smirked, Mallory obviously had her own plans in coming here tonight. She started making her way up the white marble, staircase, I took long strides to catch up with her and walked quickly up the stairs.

Mallory's POV

After someone had rudely separated Tyler and I, I couldn't find him. He was right next to me and then the next second he was gone. I grew frantic as I tried searching for him in the crowd, everyone being in masks didn't help at all. I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, he was about the same height as Tyler and he was wearing the same mask. He had a drink in his hand, he handed it to me and then passed me a note with it and then walked away. I quickly opened it up to read it.

I have something special planned for us Mallory,

Drink up and meet me at the middle of the dance floor, when the lights go dim

Play along.

-Tyler

I smiled a little, clearly Tyler had this all planned out.I quickly downed the drink and then placed it on a cater waiters tray. I looked around the room and located the middle of the dance floor. I started walking towards it, the lights suddenly went dim. I could barely see anything and I could hear people complaining about it. I walked to the middle of the dance floor, I saw a man who looked a bit like Tyler approach me, but it was so dark I could barely see him. He extended his hand out to me, I took it and then he pulled me closer to him. He placed his hand on my back and took my hand in his as I placed my hand on his shoulder.

He was very quiet as he moved me around the dance floor. He bent his head down,moving closer to me and smelled my neck, before placing a kiss on it. I wondered why he was being this way, it was so unlike him. I pulled away a little to try to look into his eyes, he held onto me tighter and then bent down and kissed me roughly on the lips, I kissed him back, he pushed his tongue forcefully into my mouth. It felt so wrong, Tyler never kissed me like this before. I pulled away from him and shook my head.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.

I suddenly felt dizzy, like everything was spinning. I felt like I was going to faint.

"I'm insulted that you don't know."

"What did you do to me, Anthony?" I slurred.

"I'm teaching you a lesson." He hissed into my ear.

He let go of me and then grabbed my hand, he pulled me through the crowd and towards the exit, it was so dark I could barely see anything. It felt like a bad dream. We walked outside, I could barely walk, I tried my best to get away from him, but I couldn't. I felt the ground underneath me move and then all I saw was black..

Tyler's POV

I walked into the room that Mallory went into, the room was candle lit and there were rose petals on the bed. Mallory walked towards me, when she was close enough I grabbed her into my arms and buried my nose in her hair, she smelled different like lilies and not strawberries.

"New shampoo?" I whispered into her ear.

She nodded her head and started pushing me towards the bed, I knew she could be aggressive in bed sometimes, but not like this. I felt my legs hit the back of the bed, I laid down and waited for Mallory to crawl on top of me. She straddled me and kissed me on the lips, she bit down hard on my lip. That was strange, she had never done that before. I slowly pulled away.

"What's gotten into you Mallory? Take the mask off, I want to see your face."

She laughed evilly and jumped off me, she quickly ran away. I jumped back onto my feet, I knew something was wrong. If that wasn't Mallory, then where was she? Why was that woman dressed up exactly like her? I raced down the hallway and down the stairs as fast as I could. I had to find my wife and now. I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and tried calling her as I made my way through the crowd. The lights were so dim I could barely see where I was going. I looked for the exit sign, I located it and ran as fast as I could towards it. I walked out into the lobby and looked around for Mallory.

"Mallory!" I shouted, hoping that somehow she would find me.

I felt fear start to grip me. I should have never been so stupid. Ashley and Jackson came rushing towards me.

"Tyler is that you?" Ashley asked.

I noticed their masks were off so I quickly pulled mine off.

"Yes it is. I think Anthony took Mallory. I can't find her, we got separated in there and then this woman who was dressed like her made me follow her because I thought it was her... We need to find her!"

Ashley and Jackson exchanged nervous looks. Jackson pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"I would like to report a possible kidnapping." He said.

I could barely hear anyone, I had no idea where she was. My phone beeped.

Mallory is back where she belongs,

Don't look for her or I'll kill her.

I froze and dropped my I-phone onto the ground. I would look for her, I would do anything to protect her because I would kill him first before he did anything to her. I picked my phone up from the floor and quickly ran outside to see if I could see them somewhere, it was stupid, but what was I suppose to do? How could my wife have been with me just minutes earlier and then minutes later she was gone. I would go on a mission to find her. I silently prayed for her protection, I needed her to be okay..


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here's the new chapter, I hope you like it. Oh and to the real Anthony, yes this is based on you...**

Mallory's POV

I felt so groggy and disoriented, I remembered being pulled out of the masquerade ball and then feeling very, very weak. What had happened to me? I felt like my hands were restrained, I felt like they were tied up. I slowly opened my eyes, I was in a room that was poorly lit and the windows were covered with black plastic bags. I tried moving my hands but I couldn't, I looked up and saw that it was tied up above my head to the bedpost. My mind was so foggy right now, I couldn't even remember how I got here.

"You're awake." I heard a voice say.

I rolled my head to the side where the voice came from, I gasped when I saw that it was Anthony. I blinked back tears that immediately sprung into my eyes.

"What have you done to me?" I said, trying to speak as loud as possible.

He got up from his seat and walked over to the bed, he sat down next to me. He stroked the side of my face, I felt my skin crawl.

"I'm teaching you a lesson and stopping you from living a fake life." He said casually and shrugged his shoulders.

"You can't do this!"

"But I just did sweetheart."

He leaned down and kissed my neck and sucked on it, I tried moving away from him.

"Stop Anthony! If you want more money I'll give it to you." I shouted.

He pulled away quickly and glared at me and then smirked.

"You think that's all I want? It was just to get your attention, what I really want is you." He said.

I shook my head, this couldn't be happening. This was probably some nightmare and it would all be over soon. I felt so sickened hearing him say that he wanted me because I didn't want him. Not when I had Tyler. I knew I had to be smart here and manipulate him, then maybe I could get out of here and back to Tyler, alive.

"If you wanted me, why didn't you say it?" I asked.

He looked confused, he wasn't expecting this from me. He quickly regained his composure.

"Because you would have never left him, I also needed to teach you a lesson."

I laughed dryly and looked up at the ceiling, I knew that God would get me out of this. Anthony was such a sick and vile man who had messed with me for so long. He obviously had some deep rooted psychological problems because normal people didn't do the creepy and stupid things he did. He found pleasure in torturing people, what kind of sick person liked that? I knew that he would end up getting what he deserved, evil never got away with murder for too long. I grinded my teeth together, the amount of anger inside of me was reaching a boiling point. I didn't want to spend another second with him.

"You don't know that. Like you said before, I loved you." I said, hoping to mess with his mind.

He looked into my green eyes, a smirk appeared on his face.

"See you're already slowly coming to your senses."

I smirked because he was so stupid and he always underestimated me. He was so delusional and sick in the head, that he actually thought I could love him after everything he had done to me. How stupid could he possibly think I was? Anthony had no respect for woman and as far as I was concerned he had no respect for me. Who kidnaps someone to teach them a lesson?

"Maybe I am, now can't you untie me? It's not like I can go anywhere.."

He looked at me skeptically.

"I like you tied up." He said.

"Anthony, come on. It's pointless."

He got up from the bed and undid the ropes that he had used to tied me to the bed, I pulled my hands down and rubbed my sore wrists that had red lines all over it. He pulled me over to him, so that I was sitting on top of him. I wrapped my legs around him, I knew that if I kept him calm and thinking that I wanted him then he would be nicer to me and I could find a way to get out. He rubbed my thighs slowly with his hands, I bit my lip because I felt so sick to my stomach. I looked into his eyes.

"Thank you." I said softly.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Do you really want me?" He asked.

I didn't look at him, I just nodded my head. He grabbed my hair roughly and pulled me closer to him, so that he could kiss me. I slightly pushed my hand against him as a reflex, but I stopped and let him kiss me, I just wanted this to end. I hoped that Tyler would find some way to save me.

Tyler's POV

If hell was on earth then I was living in it right now. I hadn't been able to sleep or focus on anything, Mallory was gone and all I knew was that she was with that idiot Anthony Thorne. The police said that they were doing everything they could to find her, but I knew that it wasn't enough. I was making sure Larry was doing everything he could to locate Mallory and Anthony, I knew that once he had enough information I would go there myself and rescue her. Jackson and I were sitting in my study, looking through information about Anthony and how we could go about rescuing Mallory.

"We just need their location. He's obviously mentally unstable and working on his own. We go in there, rescue her and get the hell out. We can call the police to arrest him once we're done. I'm sure you would want to teach him a lesson, am I right?" Jackson said.

I smirked, that sounded like the perfect plan. I really did want to teach him a lesson, one that would end him for good.

"Of course he is, he didn't think this through. Yeah I do want to teach him a lesson and possibly end him." I said angrily.

"Are you going to kill him?" Jackson asked.

"If I get the opportunity to then yes." I said honestly.

"You need to be careful, I'll go with you. I'd do the same thing if anyone did this to Ashley." He said with anger in his voice.

My phone rang, I saw that it was Larry the private investigator, who I'm starting to think was somehow involved with the CIA at one point in his life because he had been very efficient lately. I answered it and put it on speaker.

"Tell me that you know where they are." I said and made my hand into a fist.

"I traced the number that sent you that text, they're in Albany, New York. I'll text you the exact coordinates. Should I notify the police?" He asked.

"I'm going there first, then you will contact them. I have something I need to do."

I knew that Anthony was probably someone who wouldn't give up easily and that he would always try to come back. The best thing to do would be to get rid of him once and for all.

"You do whatever needs to be done Mr Hawkins. This man is out of his mind." He said.

"I will and that's exactly why he needs to be put to an end." I said firmly.

My phone beeped, I looked at it quickly and saw another text from the private number Anthony had been using.

_Check your email_

I quickly turned to my computer and shook the mouse so that it came out of standby mode. I logged onto my email account and clicked on the email from an unknown email address. There was a video in the email, I quickly pressed play. I saw Mallory sitting on a chair and looking into the camera. She looked drugged up, her green eyes were in a daze. She was wearing a black shirt that didn't look like something she would wear and her hair was messy and sticking out in different directions and she looked very sad. It hurt to see her that way, Jackson quickly got off his chair and towards me so he could see the video.

"Please don't look for me Tyler. I've decided to be with Anthony. I use to love him before and now.. I love him again. I'm sorry - - - that I had to do this to you. It's almost as if my heart was in the city with you and then it moved up north and away from you. Sometimes you have no choice when it comes to who you love. I know you Tyler and you will figure this out." Mallory said.

I knew something was wrong in her little monologue, she was talking in code. Especially the part about her heart being in the city and then it moved north. She wanted me to look for her, I couldn't let her do this any longer. It sickened me to think about him placing his hands on her and doing more. I promised I would always keep her safe and the one time I was suppose to stay by her side, I couldn't even do it. I hated myself for that. I watched as the screen went black, her image disappearing.

"That was a code, she's up north just like Larry said she was. We'll find her Tyler." Jackson said.

I nodded my head and the covered my face with my hands. How did everything get messed up so fast?

"I know it was. Let's go right now. I won't waste another minute."

I pushed my seat back and stood up. I walked over to where my safe was in the wall of my office. I entered in the code and pulled the steel door open. I looked around for my black pistol, I picked it up in my hand, feeling so much power from just holding it. I knew I would need this one day and now I would use it and I would rescue Mallory.

Jackson looked at it and nodded his head.

"That's nice. Now let's go get more weapons. I have a lot back at my place, you know me I'm southern." He said with a slight drawl.

I smirked, Jackson was an amazing partner in crime.

**Mallory's POV**

I really hoped that Tyler would read through my message and come find me. I was able to get Anthony to tell me where we were. He said he would keep me in this cabin that was in the woods till he knew I was ready to really be with him. I didn't know what he really wanted and I was so scared to find out. I didn't believe that all he wanted was me and no money, he obviously wanted more. I just had to figure out what that was.

"Dinner is ready, if you're hungry." Anthony said as he stood by the door of the room I was staying in. I looked up and smiled slightly, a fake smile obviously.

"Did you cook?" I asked.

"Yes I did, I wasn't going to let you starve..."

I raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not that much of a monster Mallory." He said.

I wanted to tell him that he was a monster, that no sane human being would ever be as disgusting and stupid as he was.

"I guess not." I lied, I got off the bed and headed to the kitchen area with him.

He had a small white table in the kitchen, there was a rose placed in a vase and there were two full wine glasses on the table.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

I felt as if he was playing mind games with me and it really annoyed me. I smiled at him sweetly.

"Yes I do, it's beautiful,thank you."

I walked to a the wooden chair and sat down. I picked up the wine glass and took a small sip. I felt defeated. Anthony took a seat opposite of me and looked at me curiously.

"How did you change?" He asked.

I looked up at him.

"I decided to let God help me and everything changed for me. I became who I really was deep down inside. I was so damaged that I thought the rage and anger was part of who I was, but as time went by I realized that it was just a cover and II didn't have to suffer anymore. Why are you the way you are Anthony? What made you this way?" I questioned.

He laughed a bit and took a sip of his wine. I wanted to take my wine glass and hit him on the head with it.

"God? That's - - weird. Well whatever it was, it did change you. You know the basic sob story, a broken home and then I was in love and my girlfriend cheated on me and now here we are." He said.

"It's not weird. And then you just let it make you cold?" I asked, starting to feel a bit interested in what he was talking about.

He looked uncomfortable and I knew I had hit a nerve. He looked around the place and then back at me and tried to look effortless like he had no problems or feelings.

"You could say that, but unlike you I don't want to change. I like who I've become, nobody can hurt me. I'm powerful and I have everything." He said as he picked up the wine glass and took a small sip.

"How can you really like being broken? Because that's what you are. " I said firmly.

"Broken, yes maybe that's what I am. Sorry baby, but I'm never going to change."

I took another sip of the wine and nodded my head. I wished that he would change because nobody should have to be so broken and let themselves grow so cold. For once I actually felt pity for the man that had caused me so much pain, he was soulless and he would one day die and go straight to hell. That was something I could never wish on anyone, even him. He had hurt so many people and had damaged so many lives, it almost seemed as if he wasn't human at all. It saddened me to know that some people could turn so cold so fast and then they would never have a good and happy life, even if they had convinced themselves that everything was great for them, but it wasn't.

"You're just acting tough, but deep down inside you know you don't want to be this way."

He picked up his wine glass and swirled the liquid around as he looked at it. He seemed to be thinking about something. He was odd. He placed the glass down and looked at me.

"I don't? I never said that. Stop messing with me ,Mallory." He said angrily.

"I'm not messing with you. I'm just asking you questions."

"Well I don't like it so stop." He said firmly.

He pushed his chair back and walked to the kitchen, he came back with some chicken alfredo pasta, which was my favorite kind of food. I was surprised that he remembered that I liked it. He placed some food on a plate and put it in front of me. He placed the pot on the table and then walked to retrieve his chair, he dragged it along to where I was sitting. He picked the fork up and twirled the pasta around it.

"Open up, baby." He said.

"I can feed myself."

"And where's the fun in that?" He asked.

I felt my stomach grumble, I was so hungry. I opened my mouth and he placed the food in it, I closed my mouth and chewed on it. It was actually good, I swallowed and then picked the wine glass up to drink some of it.

"It's good." I said.

"I know."

Jackson and I had drove all the way up to Albany, I had never been so angry before and that's saying something considering how filled with rage I used to be. We found the cabin in the woods, it was very isolated. I assumed that Anthony thought Mallory would fall for him again because his plan wasn't very good. He started to get reckless with his plans and he obviously underestimated us. Jackson had a rifle with him, he was very good with guns. We were hiding behind the house, waiting to make our move. I could see the two of them in the kitchen, I expected to see Mallory tied up, but from what I could see they appeared to be having a conversation and he was feeding her.

"I don't like what I'm seeing." I whispered to Jackson.

"Relax, she's probably playing him. She has to do that."

I nodded my head. I looked down at my gun, I just wanted to shoot the asshole right now. I looked back up at the window and this time Anthony was gone.

"Dude, where the hell did he go?" I whispered.

"I don't know, but we have to hide. ." Jackson said as he surveyed the area.

I could hear footsteps approach us, it seemed like I would have to put my plan into action sooner than I expected.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This chapter is crazy for the most part. There are some scenes of violence and descriptions of blood in this chapter, it's not too much, but I'm just giving you a warning. Thank you for reading this and welcome to all the new Fix You readers!  
Tyler's POV

I turned around to see where the noise was coming from, I sighed in relief when I saw that it was just a squirrel and not Anthony. I kne

w that it was time to save Mallory, that was all that mattered. I tightened my grip on the gun. I watched as he put his hands in her hair and drew his lips closer to hers, I watched as Mallory tried pulling back slightly. Jackson looked at me and gave me the go ahead signal. We started walking towards the back door, Jackson kicked it open. We both ran in and made our way to where Mallory and Anthony were. I held my gun up, ready to shoot him if he appeared. Two men dressed in back, with guns in their hands walked in front of us, I assumed that they were his henchmen. I should have known he would have had back up somehow. Jackson and I exchanged nervous glances, we should have called the cops. Anthony walked across the room, he had Mallory with him and he was restraining her against him, so that his arm was across her neck and she was facing forwards.

"Drop the guns right now or I'll slit her throat."

I glared at him and then dropped my gun to the floor, Jackson did the same. I made my hands into fists, Mallory looked at me with fear in her green eyes. I looked at her and tried to tell her with my eyes that I was going to save her. I knew that something had to be done, I wouldn't let him destroy everything I cared about.

"Let her go Anthony." I said firmly.

His two henchmen walked over to Jackson and I, they kicked us in the back of the knees so we would fall to the ground. I gritted my teeth as I felt the man place the front of the rifle against the back of my head.

"Now why would I do that? Tell him that you chose me Mallory." He said.

"I- I love Anthony. I'm sorry Tyler." She said and I knew she was lying.

I decided to play along.

"After everything we've been through; you're going to throw it away for this asshole?" I questioned.

"You can't choose who love. Anthony there is no need for you to restrain me, you know that I chose you." She said.

We stared into each others eyes, trying to tell each other so much, but we were connected enough to understand what the other was doing.

"Then I fell in love with a whore and I regret it." I said sounding bitter.

Anthony laughed evilly.

"Are you really over him Mallory?" He asked.

He pushed her forward as he came nearer to me. He pulled out a silver gun and pointed it at my forehead.

"What are you doing Anthony?" She asked sounding afraid.

"I'm going to kill him unless you have a problem with that? He will always be in our way." He said angrily.

I felt my blood freeze, I had been close to death before and now I felt it sending shivers down my spine. Jackson cleared his throat, I turned my head slightly to look at him, he nodded his head slightly to signal that he was going to do something soon.

"Why would I have a problem Anthony?" She said trying to sound detached.

He glared at me and cocked the gun, then he placed it directly on my forehead. I could feel the metal pushing into my skin. I shut my eyes.

"No!" Mallory shouted.

He quickly pulled the gun away from me and then pushed Mallory onto the floor. I opened my eyes and watched as she was flung across the room. She seemed to be hurt and curled up into a ball.

"You still love him, you lied to me." Anthony said angrily.

Jackson looked at me and gave me a thumbs up to let me know that it was time to take back control of the situation. I turned around quickly and kicked the henchman who was behind me to the ground, I wrestled him to the floor and grabbed his rifle away from him. I punched him hard in the face, his head hit the ground and he passed out. I saw that Jackson had also knocked out the other henchman. Anthony glared at us and pointed his gun at me again, I picked up the rifle and pointed it at him, Jackson did the same thing.

"Put the guns down."He shouted.

"How about you put yours down? You're outnumbered." I said.

"Tell me this Tyler, is a whore really worth all of this trouble?" He asked.  
"Don't you dare call her that." I said as I ran over to him before he could shoot and tackled him to the floor.  
I grabbed the hand in which he was using to hold the gun and took it away from him. I slid it across the floor to where Mallory was. I punched him in the face repeatedly until I saw blood, I kept on punching him as the blood went all over my shirt and my hands. His eyes looked like they were about to close, I had punched him so hard that his face looked like it was covered with thick, red paint. I punched him one last time and then reached for the rifle. I stood over him, thinking about everything he did to Mallory. I had never felt so much anger and hatred in my life.. I pointed the rifle at his heart, I felt over taken by my rage. I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder, I turned around to see Mallory looking at me with a scared look in her green eyes.

"Don't do it Tyler, we're better than that. We're not monsters." She said firmly.

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

"But he deserves it. Don't you want to see the end of him after what he did to you?" I demanded.

She shook her head.

"Only God can choose his fate, not us." She said as she walked over to where he was and stared him down. "You're going to get what you deserve Anthony." She said quietly.

Jackson quickly walked up to us.

"We need to leave now." He said in a serious tone.

I looked behind him and saw a bunch of bouncer looking type of men in black walk into the room. I grabbed Mallory's hand as the three of us ran in the same direction we came from. I could feel my heart beating out my chest as bullets began to fly through the air, missing us by inches. It was like something was protecting us, creating an invisible barrier around us. We kept running as fast as we could through the woods, all we could see in our peripheral vision were flashes of brown and green. I was heading to the place where we parked the Range Rover. It was the parking for those who were planning on using the trail through the woods. I started breathing heavy as we saw the clearing and the car. We all ran as fast as we could to the Range Rover. I pulled out the keys from my pocket and pressed a button to open the doors. Mallory ran to the passenger seat and got inside. Jackson quickly got into the back seat, I ran around the car and to the driver's seat. I got in, put the keys into the ignition and started the car. I reversed out of the parking lot and then pressed hard on the gas pedal as I drove the car out of the parking lot and onto the road.

We were all breathing heavy, I looked at Mallory from the corner of my eyes. Her head was bleeding and it dripped down onto her cheek, she was almost shaking and very still. I could hear her heavy ,uneven breaths. I reached out for her hand and held onto it tightly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, even though I knew she wasn't.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes and shook her head.

"I thought I was going to lose you." She said, her voice heavy with emotion.

"I promised that you never would." I said trying to sound strong.

She clutched at her stomach, I looked at her with concern.

"My stomach really hurts." She said.

"Did he hurt you there?" I asked.

She shook her head and winced in pain.

"Try to relax, it might help. I'm taking you to the hospital."

I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Jackson was on the phone, he had a grim look on his face.

"Jackson, is everything okay?" I asked.

"I will tell you later. " He said.

I realized that he didn't want Mallory to hear about what he had found out. I was afraid about what he had to say. I tightened my grip onto the steering wheel as I drove, I looked at my knuckles it was filled with blood. I had almost killed someone.

***

We were at the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, Mallory had gotten checked out by the doctor, they were running some tests on her and had bandaged up her head. She was really shaken up, I couldn't believe this happened, I was still in shock. I didn't know what to do or say. I was sitting on the chair next to the bed. I could smell the sterile and clean scent of the hospital room, it brought back so many memories from when I got shot.

Mallory's POV  
I felt as if I was in a dream, one I would soon wake up from. All I knew was that one second I was being thrown onto the floor, fearing that Anthony was going to kill Tyler and the next minute Jackson, Tyler and I were running through the woods. It all happened so fast, I knew that it would haunt me for a long time. Being in the hospital again just brought back so many awful memories. I was laying in the hospital bed and Tyler was sitting on a chair next to the bed. He looked very shaken up, I could tell that he was somewhere else. He reached for my hand and held it tightly, I gave his hand a squeeze. He was my hero

"You saved me Tyler. I love you so much." I said.

He smiled slightly.

"I would do anything for you. I love you too."

The doctor walked back inside, he was probably in his mid 40s and he had wavy black hair. He had been very kind to me and he knew what he was doing. He glanced down at his clipboard and then looked at me.

"Your baby is okay and you're going to be fine." He said.

I blinked my eyes at him, baby? What was he talking about?

"But I'm not pregnant." I said.

"You didn't know? The test came back positive for pregnancy. Well then let me congratulate you. It's a miracle that your baby survived this sort of trauma. You can leave, I signed the discharge forms. Just take it easy and I'll give you a prescription for some pain killers. Have a good day." He said and then walked away.

I felt shell shocked, I was pregnant? I turned my head to look at Tyler who looked like he had seen a ghost.

"You're pregnant." He said.

"I'm pregnant." I said as it all started to sink in.

He got up from the chair and pulled me closer to him, I held onto him tightly. I felt tears fall down from my eyes. Even though something so terrible had happened, God had decided to give me what I wanted, a child.


	12. Chapter 12

Tyler and I decided that after everything that had happened to us it would be good to see a therapist. I wasn't sure how a shrink could make us forget all of our problems, but I figured out that we had nothing to lose. I felt extremely paranoid now that I was pregnant, I could not lose another child. We were sitting at the therapist's office, waiting for our turn. We were taking a couple's therapy session. Ever since everything happened with Anthony, I noticed a change in Tyler, he had begun to act very distant and moody. I was beginning to worry about him, and now that we were having a baby together I needed him to be alright. I couldn't have him losing it when I needed him the most. The office was spacious, there was a long glass table in the center, with magazines scattered across it. I could smell traces of lavender, I normally loved that scent but today it made me feel slightly ill. I turned my head to look at Tyler, he was reading GQ magazine.

"Mr and Mrs Hawkins?" The receptionist called out.

Tyler looked up at the petite, tanned receptionist and put the magazine down. He reached for my hand, I held his hand firmly and we walked towards her.

"That's us." I said and smiled at her.

"Dr. Dawson will see you now. Follow me." She said kindly.

Tyler didn't say anything, he simply nodded his head as we followed her to where Dr. Dawson would see us. We walked into the room and shut the door. Dr Dawson was sitting at her desk and there was a black sofa in front of it. Dr Dawson had grey hair and a sweet smile. I was glad that she was our therapist, we needed someone we would feel comfortable with in order to be open about our lives. We walked to the sofa and sat down.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, it's nice to meet you. Now I know you have been through a lot, let's not waste time and get to the point. How are you both _really_ feeling?" She asked and stared directly at us.

I looked down at my hands, I didn't know how to really answer that question. I hadn't really thought about how I was_ really_ doing.

"I'm fine." Tyler said flatly.

Dr Dawson raised her thin, pale eyebrows at him.

"Are you really fine? Most people say they're fine when they're not. Want to try that again?"

Tyler sighed in frustration and shrugged his shoulders. I didn't know why he was being so difficult, but maybe he wasn't doing as well as he wanted me to believe.

"I don't really have much to say about what happened. It was unfortunate and now we're moving on with our lives. End of story." He said and then smiled fakely.

"Tyler.." I said with a warning tone in my voice.

He stared at me and then slumped his shoulders. He was behaving like a moody teenager.

Dr. Dawson looked down at her notebook and wrote something down. I felt like we were failing a test.

"Hmm interesting. How was your marriage before this happened?" She asked.

I knew that if we lied then it wouldn't make anything better.

"It was fine." Tyler said.

I rolled my eyes, it wasn't fine.

"Honestly, we hit a rough patch. I had a miscarriage a few months ago and it really tested our relationship. It wasn't an easy time for us and now this happened - it has just been too much you know?" I said.

Tyler glared at me. I guess he didn't like me telling her that, but what was the point of therapy if we lied?

"Being honest is a good thing. You have been through a lot of traumatizing events, it definitely  
will put strain on a relationship. Have you sat down and talked about how you both felt when you lost the baby? It's very important to have communication in a relationship. I feel as if the two of you aren't on the same page right now. Tyler, do you agree with Mallory's statements about your marriage not being fine after the miscarriage?"

Tyler sat upright and crossed his arms. He seemed to be in deep thought and then he nodded his head.

"Yes I do. It was really difficult for me because she shut me out completely and blamed me for everything. I also got mad when she hid everything from me, I feel as if - she doesn't trust me anymore." He said.

I opened my eyes wide, I had no idea he felt this way. I felt upset that he chose to say all of this now instead of when we were alone together. I looked at him.

"I said I was sorry Tyler. I do trust you, I just thought I could deal with Anthony on my own."

He laughed dryly.

"Look how good that turned out. Please tell her that she has to trust me more, it's difficult when she doesn't." He said, looking at Dr Dawson.

"Now we're making progress. These are the things you have to talk about. Now I know that it's easier to sweep things under the rug, and talk without really talking about anything important, but it's not healthy. These problems don't go away. They just get worse. So tonight I want you two to sit down and discuss everything that's bothering you. Mallory, I want you to tell Tyler everything about Anthony, don't hold back. I will see you next week and the session will be longer." She explained.

Tyler and I sat in a stunned silence. I didn't know how we were going to be so honest tonight, but if we weren't honest then we were going to face even bigger problems. I took a deep breath and then exhaled. It was sink or swim time.

Tyler and I were back at our penthouse, sitting at the dining room table. I had a cup of coffee in my hands, I let the heat warm up my hands as I held it tighter. Tyler looked directly at me, he was upset earlier because I told the therapist that we had problems before the miscarriage.

"So where do we start?" I asked.

He picked up the white coffee mug and took a sip from it, keeping eye contact with me as he put it down.

"You can start by telling me exactly who Anthony was to you." He said firmly.

I inhaled sharply and let go of the mug. I avoided his gaze and looked at the maroon colored wall. I knew he would ask me this, but was I ready to tell him everything? Then again I didn't think I'd ever be ready, so I had to be honest. I cleared my throat, and turned my head to look at him.

"Anthony was my former pimp, but he was also more than that at one point. I thought that I had feelings for him. Do you remember the night before our wedding, I told you that I lost my virginity to some guy in a motel? Well I kind of lied about that. I lost - no my virginity was taken away from me by Anthony, when I was 15. I didn't want to be a - prostitute because I didn't like the idea of losing my virginity to someone I didn't know. He forced me to have sex with him in the back of some stupid room. I didn't want to tell you this because I was ashamed of it Tyler and it hurt to even think about it. I'm so sorry that you thought that I didn't trust you, but I didn't know what to do."

Tyler looked furious, his eyes were stormy and distant. There were only a few times that I saw him that angry and it never failed to scare me each time.

"I should have finished him off! We shouldn't have shown mercy to him, if I only knew what he did to you Mallory! You can't keep things like this from me, in future I want to know everything." He said angrily.

I blinked my eyes and looked at him. The way he was talking scared me, an eye for an eye just made everyone blind. I was seriously starting to worry about him. I reached out for his hand and squeezed it.

"Tyler, you're not a monster like him. You aren't a murder, so please don't speak like that. My life is amazing now and he had to kidnap me in order to feel happy with himself. I think his life sucks. I promise there's no more secrets Tyler I've told you everything."

He looked deeply into my eyes, the way Tyler looked at me was with the look of love. By him just looking at me I knew that he loved me, that he would do anything for me.

"You're right I'm not. I can't believe that I almost - killed someone. I hope I'm helping make your life amazing, I know I haven't been the most supportive husband lately. .."

I looked back into his blue eyes, I could tell that it really torn up inside about almost killing Anthony. I would have to be much more supportive of him. I shook my head.

"Tyler, you've been amazing to me. I'm the one who has been difficult. I think you should also book some individual sessions with Dr. Dawson, what you had to experience was traumatic. Please do this for me and our baby?" I pleaded.

He smiled slightly and tilted his head to the side.

"I always knew I'd end up in therapy one day. I'm going to pray about this too, it's the only thing I can do. You're fine Mallory, for better or worse right?" He said with hint of playfulness in his voice.

"Now you're making yourself sound crazy. Yes and hopefully it will be for better from now on! Have they found Anthony yet?" I asked sounding a bit worried.

"You make me crazy sweetheart. We can only hope and - no they haven't, but my P.I is looking into it to. Larry will be sure to find him and then I'll notify the police." Tyler said.

I arched an eyebrow at him. _He had a private investigator?_

"Since when did you have a private investigator?" I asked curiously.

He ran his fingers through his hair and he looked extremely nervous.

"Since I thought you were hiding something from me. I hired Larry to look into your past and find anything suspicious. I'm sorry, but I had no choice."

I folded my arms and glared at him. I didn't feel okay with him hiring someone to dig up dirt on me.

"You had someone spy on me in a sense? I don't know what to say about that."

He sighed and looked at me.

"I was desperate, all I wanted to do was help you and you didn't let me do that Mallory." He said sounding exasperated.

I covered my face with my hands, I really didn't want to fight anymore. Enough was enough.

"Okay I'm done fighting. We both did some stupid things and we can learn from that. Truce?"

He smiled and nodded his head.

"Truce. Now come here." He said and then winked at me.

I pushed my chair back and walked over to where he was. He turned around in his chair so he was facing me. He pulled me closer to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck. We stared into each other's eyes, our connection was truly magnetic.

"Our baby is going to be really lucky. He's going to have a great dad." I said honestly.

Tyler smiled and placed his hand on my stomach, I placed my hand over his and smiled. The three of us would be a family, I would finally have the family I've always wanted.

"His mom is even better. How are we so sure he's going to be a he?" Tyler asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because of your dream and we're going to name him Tyler Michael Hawkins Jr." I said confidently.

Tyler smiled and nodded his head.

"Of course and I have a surprise for you." He said mysteriously.

He stood up and I took a step back, he then grabbed my hand and lead me out of the dining room and down the hallway of the left wing. I wondered why he was taking me to the left wing, there were just empty rooms there. He stopped in front of a door and then he opened it. I tilted my head so I could see what was inside, I caught a glimpse of a sea blue colored wall. Tyler pulled me into the room. I looked around it, I saw a crib against the wall, it was made out of oak and it had a mobile with stars hanging on it. The walls were such a beautiful sea blue color and there were sea shells stuck in the center of it creating a border. It was such a beautiful room, it was perfect for our baby.

"It's a nursery." I said in almost a fervent whisper.

Tyler walked over to me and hugged me tightly. I pressed my head against his chest and inhaled his specific scent of fresh soap. I held onto him tightly.

"Yes it is, I hope you like it. Our baby will need a nice place to sleep in." He said.

I knew that this moment was very important to us, we had lost so much and now we were standing in our baby's nursery, it was something that would give us hope and a reason to push forward. I couldn't wait to finally hold my precious baby in my arms, the past was suddenly starting to feel so far away and the future seemed so bright. I just prayed silently that Anthony would never find us again.  
**  
**


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner. I was completely confused about where to take the story next and I just couldn't write anything. However with some help from Archa Dave I was able to come up with new ideas and finally write this chapter.

* * *

Horrific moments are hard to shake, they stay etched in your memory and they haunt you every time you close your eyes. All I see is Anthony's bloody face, it won't go away and then I remember how my mind was focused on revenge, the more I punched him the more in control I felt and I knew that if Mallory hadn't stopped me when she did, I would have killed someone. It's not that Anthony wouldn't have deserved it because he did, but who was I to decide who lived and who died? I was not God and I had no right to even consider that.

It's difficult to ever see yourself as a monster, you don't want to think that you're capable of such evil, but once you do something that questions your whole set of morals, it makes you question who you are. I would like to see myself as a honest, God fearing man, but the way I behaved seemed far from that._ "Don't blame yourself for it." _ That's what Jackson kept on telling me. I agree with him in a way because what man wouldn't want to beat up someone who tried to take away his wife? Nobody could try to harm Mallory without having to deal with me. Jackson had informed me that Anthony was still out there and one of his friends who is a cop told him that Anthony had connections who were able to hide his whereabouts, so they weren't completely free of him yet.

It angered me greatly, I had never felt so morally conflicted before. If I had ended Anthony then there would be no threat, but murder was something I never wanted to do unless it was completely in self defense and not out for revenge.  
I didn't blame Mallory for wanting us to see a therapist, I had completely shut down after that. I didn't know what to think or what to say, I assumed that maybe I was in shock. Then there was the fact that Mallory was pregnant again. I was praying that this time she wouldn't lose the baby because I knew she wouldn't be able to go through that again and neither would our marriage. I was going to become a father, a lunatic was out there probably planning his next attack on our family, it was becoming just a little too much. However I wasn't weak, if anyone threatened the safety of Mallory and our baby, I would strike back.

I was sitting at my desk with a glass of scotch in my hand. I took a small sip of it and placed it down onto the table. I needed something to take off the edge. I wasn't going to get wasted or become an alcoholic, but right now I needed to make everything slow down. I tugged at my tie, loosening it. Work had been strange, I knew that everyone was convinced I had an affair with Mia. I was going to see my lawyer tomorrow and let him hear Mia's recorded confession. I would be free in no time. I still hadn't let Mallory know that Anthony would probably get away free without anyone catching him, but I wasn't going to stress her.

I heard a noise and looked up to see Mallory standing in front of my desk. She had a curious look on her face, she was wearing a black, jersey dress that hugged her small baby bump. She had an amazing glow, as always she took my breath away.

"Are you busy?" She asked.

"A little, why?"

She pouted a little and ran her fingers through her hair. I didn't want to talk about my "feelings" with her again. I was starting to feel like we were hippies because that's all she ever wanted to talk about these days.

"I wanted to talk."

I groaned and then ran my fingers through my hair.

"I'm really not in the mood for that." I said flatly.

"You don't even know what it's about." She said sounding a bit angry.

"Well let me guess it's about me acting different? I'll be okay soon. Just let me be."

"It wasn't even about that! I just wanted to see how you were doing." She said sadly.

"Mallory - " I began to say.

"No, forget it Tyler." She said coldly, cutting me off.

I sighed, I wasn't in the mood to fight with her. I decided to check my email.

"You're being impossible." She said and then stood up and walked out of the office.

I looked away from the computer screen to see her slamming the door in my face. Marriage wasn't easy that was for sure and I felt like I was messing up badly.

***  
Mallory's POV

I walked as fast as I could to Tyler and I's bedroom. I slammed the door shut and tried to stop the tears from falling down from my eyes as I walked over to the bed and sat down. I felt so disconnected from him lately, we were having a baby together it was suppose to bring us closer together, but it seemed to be doing the opposite. I bit down on my lip hard as a single tear fell down my cheek.

What if Tyler became distant forever? I heard about marriages where they would just stop connecting and then that was it. I really didn't want that to happen to me. I laid down onto the bed and placed my hand on my baby bump. I just wanted my child to have two parents who loved each other and who loved him or her just as much. I stared at the white ceiling and then silently prayed that God would strengthen my marriage. Problems didn't go away, but I always felt better knowing that I wasn't alone in this. As much as I loved Tyler, I had to be okay with being my own strength. I couldn't rely on him for all my happiness because human beings will always disappoint you somehow, even the love of your life.

My phone started to beep, I reached my hand over to the bedside table and moved it around until I could feel the buttons of my blackberry. I picked it up and saw that I had one new text message from an unknown number. I quickly opened it up.

_You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easy did you?_

I gasped as I read the message. I felt my skin crawl. It had to have been Anthony, nobody would ever try to be that creepy.

"Tyler!" I shouted, sounding panicked.

I heard footsteps come closer to the door, the door flung open and Tyler walked inside the room with a horrified expression on his handsome face.  
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asked sounding worried.  
"No - but Anthony, I think he sent me this."  
I held up my phone and gave it to Tyler, who quickly took it from me and read the text with a grim expression on his face.  
"Change your number immediately. Just calm down okay? I got this." He said determinedly.

He looked at my face carefully and reached over to wipe away a tear with his thumb. Just having him touch my face soothed me.

"I'll do that. I'm so scared Tyler. This is more than I can take. Why is this happening to us?"

"Don't cry baby. It will be okay. I don't know, people can be evil, but that doesn't mean that I'm just going to sit here and let anyone hurt you." He said.

I blinked back more tears.

"I thought that you stopped caring..."

He shook his head and placed his hand on the side of my face. I looked into his deep, blue eyes.

"You know that's not true. I've only been this way because losing you scares me. I've lost a lot of people that I cared about and I honestly wouldn't be able to live without you. I almost killed a man because of that. Don't you see that I'd do anything for you?" He said deeply.  
I could see how sincere he was about this, there was so much concern and love in his eyes. I should have been scared out of my mind, but with Tyler on my side it was hard to be afraid.

"I'm sorry that I've been hard on you lately. I'm not going anywhere okay? I promise and we can get through anything as long as we are together. I love you so much Tyler. I never knew it was possible for me to love until I found you." I said, feeling choked up with emotion.

Tyler took his hand and placed it on my baby bump and he moved closer to me.

"It's okay my love. I'll protect you no matter what, you know that, don't you?I love you more. Same here. This baby is going to have a good life because he already has an amazing mother." Tyler said and smiled at me.

I looked into his eyes and nodded my head.

"And his father isn't that bad either." I said a bit teasingly.

He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips, I kissed him back hungrily, letting my fingers gently run through his hair. He gently pushed me back onto the bed and hovered over me, careful not to press himself against my bump. He slowly pulled away and looked into my eyes.

"I really don't want to scar the baby for life you know?" He said teasingly.

"Oh Tyler. You know we still could.. if you wanted to." I said with a hopeful expression in my voice.

" I have to go do something extremely important right now. Maybe later on tonight?"

I pouted a little, but I knew we had a lot that needed to be taken care of and with Anthony on the loose we couldn't be too careful.  
"I'll hold you to it Hawkins." I said.

He smiled and quickly pecked me on the lips then got off me. He sat on the bed for a few seconds and looked into my eyes, I knew that we were okay again. Our love was a rollercoaster ride, but why would I want it any other way?

***  
Tyler's POV

I had hired a bodyguard to watch over the penthouse and Mallory, so I knew I could leave for an hour or so and she would be safe. Jackson had a lot of connections, I was starting to think that the guy worked for the CIA or something. I was on 5th Avenue, taking a walk to their penthouse. I had immediately called Jackson and told him about the text message, he told me to come over so we could discuss what the next step should be. I was determined to find Anthony and lead the police to him. If he was bribing police officers then I could do the same thing. He underestimated my power if he thought that I wouldn't do whatever it took to stop him.

The gloved doorman recognized me and opened the door to Ashley and Jackson's apartment building. I thanked him and walked inside, making my way across the lobby and to the elevator. I walked into it and pressed the button for their level. Lame elevator music was playing and I tapped my foot impatiently as the elevator moved up the building. It finally stopped and the doors opened up, I walked out and made my way to their penthouse. I rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. Ashley opened the door, she had a worried look on her face.

"Hi Tyler! Come in." She said kindly.  
"Hey Ash. Thanks." I said as I walked into the penthouse.

Their house always had a welcoming vibe to it. It was always well illuminated and decorated to perfection with hues of purple and white on the walls. Ashley lead me to the lounge where Jackson was sitting with some paperwork in his hands. I took a seat on the white sofa and looked at Jackson.

"Hey man." I said.

"Hey Hawkins. So I have some good news for you. I've been using all the connections I have to find out where Anthony might be." Jackson said.

"That's good. Where is he? We need to get the police on our side about this."

"I was thinking the same thing. It's time we used the Winthrop and Hawkins last names to our advantage. He's back in Vegas, a credit card belonging to him was used there. It might be a false lead, but if it is him then we need to look into it."

Ashley walked over to where we were and took a seat next to Jackson.

"There is something else too Ethan. You know your assistant Mia? Well I became extremely suspicious on her and I did some research on her. There has been numerous sightings of a man who looks like Anthony going in and out of her apartment. If she's working with him, we could convince her to lead us to him." Ashley said.

Suddenly it all seemed to make perfect sense. There was no coincidence that Mia was trying to accuse me of sexual harassment when Anthony was trying to get Mallory for himself. It would have been their plan all along.

"That actually makes perfect sense. I bet she was working with him this whole time. So what do we do now?" I asked as I looked at Ashley and Jackson.

Ashley smirked and crossed her arms.

"Well it's simple really. We expose them for the criminals they really are. I think a take down is necessary. " She said.

Jackson and I looked at each other and then smirked. The three of us would be able to stop Anthony and Mia. This wasn't about revenge anymore, this was about justice being served.

"I like that idea Ashley. We just can't let Mallory know about this until we sort it out. I don't want her to be stressed."

"I agree. We need to sort this out for her, stress isn't good at all." Ashley said.

I nodded my head. I had to come up with a flawless plan that would protect my family. I couldn't let my emotions get in the way because if they did I would lose. I had to stop Mia and Anthony.

_**Mallory's POV**_

I heard the doorbell ring, I didn't want to answer it after getting that scary text. I asked the maid to ask who it was.

"Who is at the door?" Elena asked.

"It's Mia." A voice said.

I opened my eyes wide, why would she come over now? I shook my head.

"Tell her to go away." I whispered to the maid.

"You go away now." Elena said in broken English.

"Fine, but I'm leaving a dvd behind. I think Mrs Hawkins should look at it." She said angrily.

I pressed my ear against the door and heard her walk away.

"John, please go outside and retrieve the dvd." I said.

John was the big, scary looking 6'4 bodyguard who Tyler had hired. He nodded his head and walked to the door with a gun in his hand.

"Go to the lounge and wait there." He instructed.

I walked to the lounge with Elena and took a seat. I took a deep breath and exhaled, it was impossible to live like this. A minute later John walked back in and handed me the dvd. I took it from him and then passed it to Elena to put it into the dvd player for me. I picked up the remote that was next to me and pressed play. Tyler and Mia appeared on the screen, he had her pressed up against the wall and he was whispering in her ear. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I didn't want to believe that Tyler would do this to me. I just stared at the screen blankly, I couldn't move. I didn't know what to feel. This couldn't be happening, not after everything we had been through.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

Tyler's POV

The meeting with Jackson and Ashley went well. We had a plan and we would be prepared if anything happened. The elevator finally opened up and I walked into the penthouse which was dimly lit. It wasn't that late, so I wondered where everyone was. I loosed my blue tie and walked towards the kitchen.

"Tyler.." I heard Mallory say from the lounge.

I immediately walked to the lounge and looked for her. She was sitting on the black couch with a sad look on her face, there were shadows cast on her face from the dark and I knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head and pressed play on the remote. I looked at the TV and saw surveillance footage of Mia and I. It looked like a compromising situation, but that was during the time I tried getting a confession from Mia. I quickly sat down next to her and looked into her green eyes.

"Mallory, I didn't do anything with her. That was the day I went to her apartment to get a confession from her. You have to believe me. I would never do that." I said strongly.

I reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"You believe me - don't you?" I asked.

She looked up into my eyes and blinked back tears.

"Yes I believe you. I just wanted to hear it from you. Why is this happening to us Tyler? I just want us to be happy again." She said sadly.

I knew exactly what she meant. If only life was a bit simpler.

"I don't know Mallory, I don't know. We will be. Soon the baby will be here and we'll be sleep deprived, but happy."

A small smile crept onto her face.

"Yes we will be. Tomorrow we're going to the doctor and we might find out if it's a boy or a girl." She said.

I smiled, that actually sounded exciting.

"That's awesome sweetheart. Have you thought of any names?" I asked.

"I'm pretty much sure it's a boy, so I'm thinking we'll name him Tyler Michael Hawkins Jr." She said happily.

I smirked, it would be awesome to have a son with the same name as me and also adding in my brother's name in there was a good sentiment.

"Of course you're sure. That name sounds perfect."

I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead and then pulled away.

"Thank you Tyler. I know you like it because it's your name silly."

"You know me too well. Um one question, who sent you that tape?" I asked.

"It was Mia. She's crazy obsessed with you."

"Mia? I knew she was working with him."

Mallory gasped and her stunning green eyes opened up wide. She started to shake her head.

"She's working with Anthony right? It's the only thing that would make sense. Tyler, you can get her to tell us where Anthony is, they have to be staying in contact right?"

I didn't want to cause any stress for Mallory, but she was good at coming up with ideas.

"That's actually a great idea. Yeah we think she might be working with Anthony. If she leads us to him, we'll be done with him for good I promise." I said strongly.

She moved closer to me, so that her head was resting on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and rested my head on top of hers.

"We have to stop him Tyler. We can't live this way anymore and our child needs to protected." She said.

I was more determined than ever to stop this madness. Evil couldn't continue without consequence for too long, sooner or later it had to be defeated.

Mallory's POV

I was so relieved when Tyler explained the situation with Mia, I was glad that I stayed calm and trusted him. I didn't want us to be divided right now, especially not when there were so many people out to get us. My main concern was protecting my baby. There was no way I could lose another child. Tyler and I were just called in to the doctor's room, I could barely contain my excitement. I couldn't wait to find out if we were having a boy or a girl even though I was sure it would be a boy. I remembered the dream Tyler had when he got shot all those years ago. I knew in my heart that it was our future and we would get there.

"I still can't believe this is all happening." Tyler said.

I nodded my head and looked around the neat and orderly doctor's room. I stared at the ultra sound machine, it was amazing how that could show us the baby. I inhaled deeply, a strong sterile smell filled up my nostrils.

"Me too. Now I believe that this is all real."

The doctor walked inside, she had long blond hair and friendly blue eyes. She smiled at us.

"Hello Mr and Mrs Hawkins. How are you both doing today?" She asked kindly.

"Hey Dr. Brown. I'm good and you?" I asked.

"I'm good." Tyler said.

He seemed to be in another world, but not in a bad way. I knew that this was all shocking to him.

"That's great! I'm fine. So are you ready to find out if you're having a boy or a girl?" She asked.

I nodded my head.

"We sure are." I said excitedly.

I lifted up my shirt and she applied a gel like substance onto my bump. Tyler reached out and held my hand. I stared at the ultra sound machine as Dr. Brown started to place the plastic thing on my bump. I could see the baby's head, it looked so small and alien like. I had to blink back tears, I was finally seeing my baby. I bit down on my lip and looked at Tyler who was staring at the screen. He looked completely blown away.

"That's our baby." He said softly.

I nodded my head. I could barely speak.

Dr. Brown looked at the monitor and looked as if she was trying to figure something out.

"The baby's heart rate is normal. In fact everything is normal and it's a boy." She said with a smile.

Tyler and I immediately looked at each other. I knew that it was a boy, it was just good to have it confirmed.

"That's so good to hear. Thank you so much." I said.

In a few months I would be able to hold my baby boy in my hands and nobody would be able to stop that from happening. God wouldn't let that happen. I just had to believe it and have faith.

Tyler and I walked towards our town car and got inside. I held his hand tightly as the car started moving into midtown traffic.

"Our baby is healthy. Maybe our luck is changing." Tyler said with a smirk.

"Yes! I'm so happy Tyler. Did you see how tiny it is? That was the most adorable thing I've ever seen." I gushed.

Tyler chuckled.

"You're such a girl baby. I never knew you could be this soft." He said teasingly.

"No duh I'm a girl Tyler! Would you prefer me to be a hormonal mess who yells at you? Because I can do that too." I said cheekily.

Tyler raised an eyebrow at me and chuckled. He bent his head down so he was face level with my bump.

"You better hurry up and get here, so you can save me from your mom when she's mean." He said, talking to the baby.

I pushed his head slightly and laughed. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this happy.

"Don't listen to him baby. He's lying!" I said while looking down at the bump.

Tyler and I were so silly at times, but I loved how we could just be ourselves with each other. Tyler picked his head up and looked over his shoulder. He suddenly had a very grim look on his face.

"Randall, take a right turn." He instructed quickly and then checked the rear view mirror.

Randall was the driver, he nodded his head and turned right. Tyler kept his eyes on the rear view mirror.

"Tyler, what's going on?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. Okay Randall take the next left turn."

He kept his eyes on the rear view mirror again. I started getting nervous.

"Tyler! Tell me what's going on right now!" I demanded.

He looked at me from the corner of his blue eyes.

"Mallory, see that blue car in the rear view mirror? He's been following us. I noticed that since we left the doctor's office. Just don't turn around. Keep your head straight. I'm going to drop you off at my parent's place. I'm going to call the bodyguards and tell them to go there. If you don't hear from me in the next half hour, call Jackson. Don't open the door for anyone except him and Ashley while I'm gone. Do you understand?" He said sounding serious.

I didn't know what to think. My heart began to race fast.

"Tyler this is crazy! You have to come with me. I can't stay there knowing you're not safe. What are you going to do? Please don't do this Tyler. Please." I pleaded.

He shook his head as he took out his phone and sent his mother a text.

"Randall please take us to 5th Avenue and pull up into the parking garage. Once you're there drive as close as you can to the elevator. " Tyler instructed.

He turned to look at me. He had a very worried look in his blue eyes.

"We have to keep the baby safe remember? I have to do this. I just need you to do as I say Mallory." He said firmly.

I nodded my head. I didn't want him to go on his own, but we had to keep our baby safe. I looked into the rear view mirror. The blue car was still behind us. Randall weaved in out and of traffic, he was trying to lose the blue car. Once we entered 5th Avenue, he swung the car into an underground parking garage. He sped up once he was inside and pulled up directly in front of the elevator.

"Mallory - I love you. Now please go as fast as you can."

Tyler pulled out a brief case from under the seat, he opened it up revealing 3 hand guns. I gasped. I knew things were very serious right now. He handed me one.

"Be careful with this, but just in case.." He said seriously.

I nodded my head and took the small, handgun from him and put it into my purse.

"I love you too Tyler. I hope I won't have to use this. Call me in 30 minutes!" I said frantically.

I quickly opened the door and walked as fast as I could to the elevator. It opened up and I quickly went inside of it. I pressed the penthouse button, the doors began to close. Tyler and I stared into each other eyes until the door finally closed. I blinked back salty tears and began to pray. I hoped Tyler knew what he was doing.

Tyler's POV

I made Randall get out of the car, so I could drive. The blue car was parked outside, probably waiting for us to leave. I placed the gun in the compartment holder in the middle and moved into a lane of traffic. The blue car was right behind me, I started to drive and looked for an alleyway that I could pull up into. I pressed my foot hard onto the accelerator What I was about to do was crazy, but I knew whoever was behind me held the key to where Anthony was. I swerved into an alleyway and drove the car very close to the dumpster so the the car clipped it. I took my foot off the brake so the car would move in a different reaction making it look like I crashed the car. I quickly pulled the silver gun from the compartment and placed my head on the steering wheel so it looked like I was injured. If they were the dogs I knew they were, they could come hit me while I was down. I could hear the car pull up behind me, I heard a door was shut and I could hear footsteps approach the car. I held in my breath. The footsteps finally stopped. I looked up from the corner of my eye and saw a red headed man standing by the door with a gun in his hand. I forcefully opened the door into him, knocking him off balance. I quickly got out and shot him in the foot. The man started to yell out in pain, I stepped on his hand where the gun was and pulled it out of his hand.

I pointed both guns at him.

"Please don't kill me." The man pleaded.

"Why were you following me?" I asked angrily.

"I can't say." He said.

"Can't or you won't? How about one shot for every question you don't answer?" I said.

I pointed the gun to his other foot.

"Now I'll ask you again. Why were you following me?"

The man winced in pain and then stared at me.

"I was sent by Anthony. He wanted me to take you out." He said with a smirk.

"That was obvious. Where is he?" I demanded.

"He's closer than you think. Upstate New York." The man said.

I smirked, it was a smart move by Anthony. He knew we would look far away from New York, but he was right here.

"That's perfect." I said.

I pulled out my phone and called 911. I quickly explained that a man tried to kill me and I shot him in the leg.

"You're going to prison and Anthony? Well we'll see what he does when I'm done with him."

Minutes later the sound of police cars and ambulances could be heard and I knew they would be here at any moment. I quickly pulled out my phone and called Mallory.

"I sorted the problem out and I know where Anthony is now. We'll be free in no time."

Anthony's POV

I kept trying to call the hit man I sent to take out Tyler, but for hours my calls went unanswered. It could only mean that he had been compromised, but who did it? Could Tyler have become stronger? It seemed like it was time for the grand finale, but like all good shows it would have to be at the very end. I started to laugh manically. I couldn't wait to see their faces once they realize what I truly had planned for them.


End file.
